


the gods are real (and so are we)

by Imaginmatrix



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst, Don't fall in love with strangers, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, PJO AU, Percabeth AU, Phone Sex, Romance, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Texting, Wrong number, percabeth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:28:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 32,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27424261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imaginmatrix/pseuds/Imaginmatrix
Summary: In a world where Gods and Monsters are known by everyone, Annabeth Chase feels entirely alone. That is, until a missent text turns her life upside down, and she finds herself pining for a boy she's never even met! Between mystery texts, her mother’s expectations, and her desires to outdo the resident golden boy, Percy Jackson, can Annabeth still achieve her grand plan?
Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 136
Kudos: 344





	1. Hydras and Homework

The Gods are real. And the world knows it.

The world forgot for a while, of course, with the popularity of certain other belief systems temporarily suppressing any faith in those old, pagan Gods. However it was only a few centuries before celestials of all cultures made their presence undeniable. They didn’t like being ignored.

And so the Mist, the ancient veil created by the Gods to protect mortal eyes from the monsters, the deities, and the powers that be, was lifted. 

The Greek Gods ruled the West, naturally. Or at the very least, it had been that way for so long no one questioned it. But the mortals were free to worship any pantheon they wished, and the children of the Gods lived among them. The Demigods, as they were known, attended the finest universities, were lauded for their abilities, and spent their time protecting mortals from monsters and other evils. 

Annabeth was one such demigod. But unlike some, she had no interest in being worshipped for just existing- no, she had plans. Plans to build, to restore, to create. She wanted to make new Universities, new Temples to the Gods, rehabilitate the dilapidated structures in modern Greece, maybe even travel the world offering her services to numerous Gods and cultures. She could easily get there with just her mother’s name alone, but she wanted it to herself. No one else would have a claim to her accomplishments.

She was ready too- not necessarily ready to build the next Colosseum, but ready to study, as she did most nights. New Athens University had a fabulous architecture program, and as a scholarship student with such big plans, this Friday was to be spent in the same manner as all Fridays- a cup of tea close by, her blonde hair pulled to the side in a braid, the books opened, and pencil on paper. 

And it was right when the pencil hit the paper that Annabeth’s phone buzzed, disturbing the start of a wonderful nightly ritual and causing her to huff her bangs out of her face in annoyance. 

_7:34PM XXX-XXXX_  
_hey grover, how do u stop hydras from doing the head thing again???_

Hydras?

So it was a wrong number. One directed towards a Grover, a name Annabeth already knew though she doubted it was the same Grover, and she gnawed her lip, fingers hovering over the keys, debating if it was worth correcting the mystery texter.

_7:34PM XXX-XXXX_  
_its kinda an emergency_  
_like life and death_

_7:35PM XXX-XXXX_  
_like RIGHT NOW!!!!!!_

_7:36PM_  
_Burn the stumps after you chop off the heads. Be careful of their venom._

She sent the text and tossed her phone aside, satisfied with her assistance and now, ready to get back to her evening.

Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Annabeth couldn’t help it when her eyes kept glancing back at her phone nervously. 

Nothing.

Was he dead, then? Death by hydras sounded particularly awful. She felt a little twinge of sadness for whoever was on the other end, hoping they went quickly at least-

_bzzt!_

She lunged for the phone, tucking some blonde strands behind her ear as the notifications came pouring in.

_7:59PM XXX-XXXX_  
_WOO yeah that did it!!!_  
_thanks a lot man i owe you one!!!!_  
_drinks tomorrow???? u can bring juniper, i dont mind_

So it WAS the same Grover- unless there was another satyr out there with a girlfriend named Juniper. Annabeth typed fast, trying to cut off whatever overexcitable person was on the other end.

_8:00PM_  
_I’m not Grover._  
_You have the wrong number._

_8:00PM XXX-XXXX_  
_wait_  
_seriously???_  
_shit_  
_sorry man, but thanks for the help!!!_

_8:01PM_  
_I’m not a man either._  
_But you’re welcome._

_8:01PM XXX-XXXX_  
_haha now i feel like a dumbass_

_8:02PM_  
_Well you DID apparently enter into a Hydra battle without knowing how to actually kill a Hydra._

_8:02PM XXX-XXXX_  
_…so youre calling me a dumbass?_

_8:03PM_  
_I’m just saying you could have been better prepared._

Annabeth knew the type. A 20-something year old demigod who thought he was invincible, going monster hunting every weekend without so much as a plan. Typical. If it weren’t for people like her, people like him would die at much higher rates than they currently did.

_8:04PM XXX-XXXX_  
_alrighty then, miss know it all_  
_...er_  
_it IS miss, right? im not wrong about that too?_

_8:04PM_  
_Yes, I’m a girl._  
_And a “Know-It-All”._

_8:05PM XXX-XXXX_  
_haha at least you admit it!_

She rolled her eyes. Now that she knew whatever idiot who had interrupted her focus was safe, she could get back to her studies. But still… something felt weird about the whole exchange. Familiar, even. The person obviously attended the same school, or maybe lived in the area if he was friends with Grover, but something about their laid back attitude annoyed her. She’d faced her own share of monsters and they were nothing to scoff at, even if your godly parentage did gift you fantastical powers. 

_8:08PM XXX-XXXX_  
_so… who are you?_

She dropped her phone to the side, ignoring the text even though she burned to give a snarky answer. The daughter of Athena didn’t need any distractions.

It had been a long 3 years already, but they were a blur of studying, classes, monsters, and little else. Of course, she had friends- Grover, who she’d known since she was young, was acquiring his Searcher’s license as well as a degree in ecology. His girlfriend, Juniper, was nice enough to hang out with. Luke was always there for her. Thalia too. And then there were other Athena kids- not many, but a few who had made her feel welcome, and the mortals who attended the school were kind even if they kept their distance from most Demigods. If she could hide her parentage, she would, but something always gave it away.

_8:12PM XXX-XXXX_  
_hellooooooo_

The buzz snapped her gaze from the pages of her book, where the words were floating off despite the dyslexic friendly font, and she snatched the offending cell phone back up. Phones were generally considered dangerous for Demigods upon invention, their signal attracting monsters and other unsavory persons, but utilizing one every once in a while in a safe space wasn’t too bad. At least, that’s what Demigods used as an excuse when they wanted to skip the inconvenience of wet, expensive Iris messages.

_8:13PM_  
_Some of us are trying to get work done, you know._

_8:13PM XXX-XXXX_  
_hey it was an honest question!_  
_im busy too but maybe i want to get to know my ‘rescuer’_

_8:14PM_  
_Busy chasing monsters for bragging rights?_

_8:14PM XXX-XXXX_  
_no!_  
_i mean thats a perk but i ran into it on accident!_  
_well mostly accident_

_8:15PM_  
_How do you run into a Hydra by “mostly accident”?_

_8:15PM XXX-XXXX_  
_bad luck?_  
_ok its a long story_  
_come on you helped me out, let me at least say thanks properly_

_8:15PM_  
_I’m nervous to learn what you consider to be a “proper” thank you_

_8:16PM XXX-XXXX_  
_hey now_  
_im not some weirdo or anything_  
_i guess u have no way of knowing that tho_  
_well, whatever! thanks! night!_

_8:18PM_  
_Goodnight._

That was that then. Mission accomplished. Annabeth turned off her phone and tucked it into the desk drawer, already testing the Fates with how much she had used it tonight, and returned to her studying for real this time. She probably wouldn’t be hearing from him, whoever he was, again, and so it was best just to put the whole situation behind her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Annabeth received a missent, text... Whoever could it be on the other end? ;)
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for helping edit this fanfiction of mine! Go check them out!
> 
> Vaguely inspired by [Message Sent](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3457130/chapters/7585658) by [Aicosu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aicosu/pseuds/Aicosu)


	2. Wise Girl

It was a couple weeks later when the next text showed up.

 _5:27PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _taraksipus_

Annabeth squinted at her phone. She had briefly turned it on, planning to connect with Thalia for sparring after classes when it arrived. What was he talking about? And why in Hades was he texting her again?

 _5:27PM  
_ _Excuse me?_

 _5:28PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _uhhh  
_ _tara…  
_ _tarazypus????_

It took her a moment of staring at the words, her own dyslexia battling with his apparent problem with spelling, before it clicked.

 _5:28PM  
_ _…  
_ _Do you mean Taraxippus?_

 _5:28PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _thats it!  
_ _taraxippus. you know how to get rid of them, right?_

She bit back a grin. So he was contacting her for monster fighting tips now. 

_5:28PM  
_ _You’re having a problem with horse-hating spirits???_

_5:28PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _maybe i am.  
_ _tell me  
_ _unless….  
_ _miss know it all DOESNT know?!_

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

_5:29PM  
_ _You need a talisman, something blessed in Poseidon’s name  
_ _An amulet, charm, anything like that._

_5:29PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _…  
_ _r u serious  
_ _its that simple???  
_ _damn haha  
_ _ur good at this!_

_5:30PM  
_ _I prefer staying alive, personally.  
_ _I find knowing about the monsters you’re going to be fighting helps with that._

And you really did have to be looking for monsters in order to be running into them so regularly. New Athens, with its sprawling sky scrapers and bustling streets was something of a haven for Demigods and mortals alike, with Mount Olympus positioned high above the Empire State Building. Of course the Gods wanted their own town to be well protected, so the outskirts were enforced with all sorts of spells to keep monsters out- not to mention the border guard.

_5:30PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _pretty sure ur calling me a dumbass again :p_

_5:30PM  
_ _I never used those words.  
_ _You decided that on your own_

_5:31PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _nah but u were thinking it!  
_ _i can tell_

_5:31PM  
_ _How do you have a run in with taraxippus anyway?  
_ _I don’t imagine many are in the wild._

_5:31PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _aha! something miss know it all DOESNT know!_

_5:32PM  
_ _Please tell me that nickname isn’t going to stick._

_5:32PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _what? u dont like miss know it all?  
_ _how bout lady knowledgeable_

Annabeth couldn’t stop the snort that escaped her. That was no good. He was making her laugh.

_5:32PM  
_ _Absolutely not._

_5:32PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _smart female  
_ _wait no that sucks  
_ _clever woman  
_ _astute lass  
_ _...witty gal?_

_5:33PM  
_ _No way do you know the word “astute”_

_5:33PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _alright you got me  
_ _i looked it up, wise girl._

She held back another laugh. She so called it. Glancing around, she began typing a response when a hand on her shoulder made her jump. Quickly, she tucked the cell phone away, hiding the screen and feeling oddly guilty about her new text friend, and whirled to see a pair of familiar, electric blue eyes framed by a smattering of freckles.

“Whoa there, where’s the fight?” Thalia laughed, raising an eyebrow at Annabeth’s reaction.

The blonde pulled away, crossing her arms, though her grey eyes twinkled at the sight of her friend, “Not here, unfortunately. You ready?”

“To kick your ass? Always.” A friendly nudge and they were on their way across the quad towards the sparring gym. 

The sun was warm on their faces, a light breeze ruffling the grass and causing the trees to sway. The campus itself was large and beautiful, ionic columns holding up the buildings, domes gleaming in the light, and cypress trees lining the winding paths of the parks and avenues. The Demeter children kept the gardens well tended, and Annabeth couldn’t help but feel a sense of home as they passed her favorite spot- a duck pond, the perfect place for studying.

The gym itself had the same fabulous exterior that Annabeth loved, but inside was a whole different story. Modern glass doors led to the balconies and bleachers overlooking the arena, a rubber floored mess of painted lines, netted off areas for training, and bins of weaponry. In the corner, a couple of students were facing down a smallish hellhound, one that was obviously summoned for the purpose of training.

This was not abnormal in the drilling areas, but something felt off as soon as Annabeth and Thalia swung open the door. Immediately, the hound turned, lowly growling at Annabeth in particular. It’s hackles were raised, its coat smoaky and dark, and its eyes glowed red as it seemed to size her up. Instinctively, the daughter of Athena’s hand went to her knife, a weapon Luke had given her when she had first been accepted at the school.

“Uh… what’s its deal?” Thalia sounded more confused than worried, her own hands reaching to grasp the spear strapped to her back.

“I’m… not sure.” There was an uneasy silence as the other two demigods circled their target, oblivious to the new developments.

Then all at once, it pounced.

Up over the heads of its original foes, the hellhound lunged at its target. Annabeth and Thalia separated, Annabeth rolling to the right, knife in hand as Thalia jumped left, swinging her spear and managing to jab the hound under the shoulder blade as it smashed into the doors previously behind them. It howled, but otherwise paid Thalia no mind, shifting to face Annabeth once more.

“What the heck is going on?!” Thalia shouted, yanking her spear back as Annabeth and the hellhound stared each other down.

“No clue-” Annabeth breathed, then cut herself off.

The phone, in her pocket. It was still on.

Cursing herself in as many languages as she could, she readjusted her grip on her knife, watching the way the hound shifted on its back legs, preparing for another strike. The bleachers were behind her, if she could get to higher ground…

But moving to do so would put her at a disadvantage, and leave her open to be viciously mauled. The other Demigods were shouting now, running over with weapons in hand to try and help, and Annabeth knew she had to act fast. When the hellhound lunged again, she was ready. 

She ran headfirst towards it, sliding to the ground at the last minute and raking her knife across it’s open belly. A risky move, but one that paid off as with a whine and a hiss the monster turned to dust- all over Annabeth, because of course. She coughed, her arm burning from the slide across the rubber and helped herself up, Thalia already at her side.

“Holy Hades, what the hell was _that?!_ ”

“My fault.” Annabeth coughed again, pretty sure she got monster dust up her nose. Gross. Her hand went to her pocket, pulling out the cell phone and Thalia rolled her eyes.

“Your phone, Annabeth? Rookie mistake.”

With a sheepish look, Annabeth pressed the ‘off’ button. That had been foolish of her, to tuck it away while still on. While the city limits were generally safe, you never could know when a monster was summoned for training or slipped past the guard. It wasn’t guaranteed security.

“I know, I know I… forgot.”

Thalia raised an eyebrow.

“You never forget stuff like that. Like… ever.”

She was met with a shrug, and Annabeth quickly turned her attention to cleaning her knife, Thalia seemed to accept the lack of answer for now as she turned to the other two Demigods who were at a loss for words themselves.

“Hey! You know you have to lock the doors if you summon monsters in here! Someone could have seriously gotten hurt!” 

“W-we’re sorry!” The wide-eyed one apologized quickly. No one could stand to be on Thalia’s bad side. With her dark clothes, combat boots, and black makeup, she was quite a sight.

“Really sorry!” The other piped up.

“And without a faculty supervisor to look out for you?! The hell were you thinking?”

The two cowered a little in fear of her rage.

Freshmen.

Annabeth and Thalia only ended up sparring for a little less than an hour. Despite Annabeth’s protests, Thalia insisted she needed a hot shower and a chill night after the earlier attack.

“Look at you, you’re covered in dust!”

“It isn’t that bad!” Annabeth complained, before promptly sneezing and proving the other’s point.

They parted ways, and on her walk back to the dorms Annabeth stopped at the pond. No one else was around, the blue hues of evening contrasting with the city lights in the distance. It was hard to see the stars here. Not like home, or the summer camp she used to go to as a kid. A heavy sigh accompanied her slouch to the ground, and after a quick glance confirmed there were no more monsters (for now), she pulled out her phone and turned it back on.

_7:07PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _what do u know  
_ _the amulet thing worked  
_ _nice going wise girl  
_ _hello?  
_ _aw come back i need more monster advice  
_ _ill stop calling u wise girl  
_ _promise_

The messages came pouring in. Annabeth smiled. 

_7:08PM  
_ _You can call me Wise Girl._

_7:08PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _thats good because i wasnt really gonna stop anyway!!_

_7:08PM  
_ _What’s this about a monster?  
_ _Again? Already?_

_7:09PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _oh that?  
_ _that was just to get you to talk to me again haha  
_ _no more monsters for me!!  
_ _well  
_ _no more today_

She bit her lip, debating how to respond. It was pretty easy to talk to him, whoever he was, and she had enjoyed their interactions, however brief. But he could be anyone on the other end! He was obviously some sort of adrenaline junkie, with all the monster fighting, and also an idiot since he never seemed to know what he was doing. On the other hand…

He was strange, and new. And Annabeth Chase, with her studies, and her focus, and her dreams, had not experienced much new, not really, in quite a long time.

_7:10PM WISE GIRL  
_ _You weren’t the only one killing monsters today._

_7:10PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _ooooo wise girl is a fighter too!  
_ _what was it?  
_ _sphinx? manticore?  
_ _please say something cool_

_7:11PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Well…  
_ _It was a small Hellhound._

_7:11PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _…  
_ _ok a little basic  
_ _how far outside the city was it?_

_7:12PM WISE GIRL  
_ _On campus._

_7:12PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _wait what_

The glow of the phone illuminated her grin as she quickly continued.

_7:13PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Some freshmen didn’t lock the gym doors while sparring with one.  
_ _My phone was on, so you can imagine…_

_7:13PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _wait wait wait  
_ _u go to the school?_

_7:13PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Obviously.  
_ _Don’t you??_

_7:14PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _well yeah i just didnt consider that u might!  
_ _thats awesome!  
_ _wait so it attacked u?  
_ _u okay???_

_7:14PM WISE GIRL  
_ _I’m fine.  
_ _Dusted it easily._

_7:15PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _damn wise girl  
_ _gotta be careful with those cell phones tho_

_7:15PM WISE GIRL  
_ _What about you?  
_ _You seem to be texting pretty constantly._

_7:15PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _i figure im already a monster magnet lol  
_ _might as well._

Monster Magnet? So he was powerful, then. And still an idiot. 

_7:16PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Ah, so you have a death wish._

_7:16PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _not at all!!  
_ _but if theyre coming anyway…  
_ _i want to enjoy the little things  
_ _like texting my friends_

_7:17PM WISE GIRL  
_ _That’s certainly one way to look at it._

_7:17PM XXX-XXXX_  
_well  
_ _its how i look at it_

Annabeth leaned her back against the trunk of the tree behind her, uncrossing her legs and gazing across the quad. A few students here and there were walking back to their dorms, and the sun had set, leaving that delicious quiet that filled you up inside. Enjoying the little things… Maybe she would give it a try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cell phones are unfortunately still a big deal to these demigods- but is it worth the risk to stay in touch?
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for being my amazing beta readers! Go check them out!


	3. Tutors and Teases

_ 10:27AM XXX-XXXX  
_ _ have u read of gods and monsters by r. riordan _

_ 10:30AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Yes!!!  
_ _ I absolutely loved the way he explored the modern issues that mortals face in a society where protecting against monsters is very difficult.  
_ _ And how that directly conflicts with how little the Gods actually help them.  
_ _ What did you think of it??? _

_ 10:31AM XXX-XXXX _ _  
_ _ uh actually i havent read it haha  
_ _ its for class but all this stuff is way over my head sooooo  
_ _ i figured u might know it tho!  
_ _ thanks for the insight wise girl! _

_ 10:35AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ You’re insufferable. _

_ ***** _

_ 8:15AM XXX-XXXX  
_ _ hey how much nectar can i drink if ive already eaten ambrosia? _

_ 8:30AM Wise Girl  
_ _ That depends on what dose you’ve taken.  
_ _ Not very much.  
_ _ Why?  
_ _ …  
_ _ Hello?  
_ _ Hey?????? _

_ 9:34AM XXX-XXXX  
_ _ sorry! was in class! _

_ 9:34AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Oh my Gods!  
_ _ I thought you burned up!  
_ _ Do you know how hard it is to call an ambulance if you don’t know who it’s for or where they are???? _

_ 9:35AM XXX-XXXX  
_ _ awwww wise girl!  
_ _ u do care! _

_ ***** _

_ 4:42PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _ grover where r u dude   
_ _ wait shit  
_ _ wrong number again! _

_ 4:42PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Need help with another fight? _

_ 4:43PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _ nah, just going out for some drinks! _

_ 4:44PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Do you ever actually do homework or just scrape by with drinks and monsters? _

_ 4:44PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _ mainly the second one, yes  
_ _ but if i ever need a tutor i can count on u, right? :D _

_ 4:45PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ You couldn’t afford me. _

_ 4:45PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _ is that a challenge? _

_ 4:46PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ 10 gold drachmas a day _

_ 4:46PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _ oh damn  
_ _ holy shit ur right, i cant afford anything close to that haha _

_ 4:47PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I could always make an exception  
_ _ Maybe give you a discount  
_ _ If things were really that dire _

_ 4:47PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _ ill keep u in mind then  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some text messages throughout the week. I think they're growing closer! :)
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for being my amazing beta readers! Go check them out!


	4. Seaweed Brain

It only took another week for Annabeth to be the first to text him.

 _2:22PM WISE GIRL  
_ _What do you know about Ichthyocentaurs?_

She was loath to ask for help. In fact, Annabeth rarely ever NEEDED assistance, usually relying on her own mind and skills to find a solution to a problem. But the situation was looking grim, and for whatever reason, the information just wasn’t sticking. She slouched across her desk, staring out the window of her dorm at the swirling bark of the olive tree just outside, tracing the patterns with her grey eyes as she waited for a response. She didn’t have to wait long.

 _2:24PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _a lot, actually, haha  
_ _why?_

She perked up, scooping her phone into her hands and thumbs flying across the touch screen.

 _2:24PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Could you maybe detail the difference between them and hippocampi?_

It was embarrassing. She knew the answer was simple, but she couldn’t help but get it mixed up in her head! Maybe Poseidon had cursed Athena’s children to just suck at marine knowledge, or maybe she simply sucked all on her own, but either way, no one could know she was struggling..

At least, no one who KNEW who she was could know.

 _2:25PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _uh sure!  
_ _are u planning on like… fighting one or something?_

 _2:25PM WISE GIRL  
_ _It’s this awful Marine Monsters class  
_ _It was a required course and it’s just  
_ _The worst._

 _2:26PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _wait  
_ _is wise girl…  
_ _asking ME for tutoring????  
_ _what a twist!_

 _2:26PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Oh hush!_

 _2:26PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _my rate is 10 gold drachmas a day ;)_

She face palmed.

 _2:27PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Are you kidding me_

 _2:27PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _buuuuuut for u?  
_ _i can make an exception_

A sigh of relief. Annabeth glanced over at her textbook, which had been slammed shut in a huff minutes earlier. If she could pass this class with an A, it was smooth sailing to valedictorian and graduating with high honors; she could get any job she wanted.

 _2:27PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Ha ha, very funny  
_ _So you’ll help me?_

 _2:28PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _only if u call me wise boy_

 _2:28PM WISE GIRL  
_ _In your dreams._

 _2:28PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _worth a shot  
_ _so a hippocampus is like, a horse fish  
_ _and an ichthyocentaur is like a man horse fish  
_ _u know  
_ _like a merman centaur_

Annabeth blinked. Well she could have guessed that based on the root words dammit! That was the problem with this marine stuff. What should have been obvious to her was just out of reach. It was like her brain shut off at the mention of anything nautical.

 _2:29PM WISE GIRL  
_ _What about their diets? Habitats? Biological functions? Mating practices?_

 _2:29PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _woah woah woah  
_ _one at a time haha  
_ _thats a lot to type, wouldnt it be easier to just meet in person and go over this stuff?_

 _2:29PM WISE GIRL  
_ _We can’t._

Her answer was immediate. 

_2:30PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _why not?_

She paused. Her thoughts began racing a million miles an hour. Why couldn’t they meet up? For starters, the only reason she felt comfortable asking for help was because he had no idea who she was. What if they met, and he recognized her? Her humiliation would be overwhelming. But it wasn’t just that… What if they met and he wasn’t what she expected? What WAS she expecting? Or worse- she wasn’t what _he_ expected? Why did it matter?

The fact was, these past few weeks of text conversations had been… refreshing. Someone wasn’t just talking to her because her mom was the right hand of Zeus, or because they wanted something from her. Her friends were fine, but it got lonely, and this stranger- whoever he was- had made her feel… something. Something different. She looked forward to his random, awkward texts, his poor grammar, him calling her “Wise Girl”. She’d finally made a new friend who hadn’t already known her since childhood, and that realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

So no, they couldn’t meet. At least, not yet.

 _2:32PM WISE GIRL  
_ _It’s just a bad idea.  
_ _You could be a monster for all I know._

 _2:32PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _think manticores have opposable thumbs?_

 _2:32PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Shut up._

 _2:33PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _ok i promise im not a monster  
_ _but i get it haha  
_ _where should we start?_

They spent at least the next hour going over the biological components of multiple sea monsters. He seemed to know it all, just off the top of his head. And when Annabeth occasionally cross referenced what he said with her textbook, it all checked out. She was absorbing the information better when he explained it too, she wasn’t sure what it was, but it felt like a wall in her mind was being chipped away at, little by little.

 _3:47PM WISE GIRL  
_ _How on earth do you know all this stuff._

 _3:47PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _what can i say  
_ _im just brimming with knowledge_

 _3:47PM WISE GIRL  
_ _More like your head is full of kelp._

 _3:48PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _hey now.  
_ _who is helping who here?_

 _3:48PM WISE GIRL  
_ _I’m just saying!  
_ _You must have seaweed in your brain to be able to memorize so much  
_ _Are you a Marine Biology major?_

 _3:48PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _nah  
_ _it just uh  
_ _interests me haha_

 _3:49PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Whatever you say, Seaweed Brain._

 _3:49PM XXX-XXXX  
_ _hey thats a good one!_

 _3:49PM WISE GIRL  
_ _What?  
_ _Seaweed Brain?  
_ _That’s a terrible nickname!_

She laughed, and despite her words, was already moving to change his contact name to it.

 _3:50PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _nah i like it  
_ _wise girl and seaweed brain  
_ _we could be a superhero duo_

 _3:50PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Some pretty lousy names for superheroes.  
_ _I’m not so sure I want you as my sidekick either_

 _3:50PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _hey, who said id be the sidekick??? :p_

 _3:50PM WISE GIRL  
_ _I did. It’s decided as of now._

 _3:50PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _damn ur bossy huh?_

 _3:51PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Is that a bad thing?_

 _3:51PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _nah  
_ _i like it._

Well that was a first for Annabeth. Most people were turned off by her need to be in charge, rather than impressed or glad for it.

 _3:51PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Anyway, thank you, for all your help._

 _3:51PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _sure thing!  
_ _we can study like this maybe…  
_ _twice a week?_

 _3:52PM WISE GIRL  
_ _That’s a lot, don’t you think?_

 _3:52PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _hey, maybe i just want an excuse to talk to you more_

 _3:52PM WISE GIRL  
_ _In that case, twice a week sounds perfect._

That was when she caught sight of the time and cursed. She was meant to meet up with her friends at four, leaving her less than ten minutes to sprint across the quad. Without so much as a goodbye, she switched her phone off (she would _not_ have a repeat of the Hellhound incident) and grabbed her shoulder bag, flicking the lights on her way out.

_*****_

They were waiting next to the entrance to campus, Thalia standing out with her spiky black hair and punk clothes, a faded Green Day tank draped over her form. Luke was cooly leaning against the wall, tall, muscular, blonde, with a deep scar being the only thing marring his otherwise perfect features. Annabeth would be lying if she said she never had a crush on the guy, but these days he was no more than an older brother to her, and he grinned at her as she ran up.

“Whoa, Annabeth, you made it!” He chuckled as she tried to catch her breath, Thalia checking her watch with a furrowed brow.

“Dude, it’s 4:05, you’re never late… you doing okay?” the punk girl inquired, her blue eyes looking Annabeth over with confusion.

“Got… caught up… studying…” she managed to gasp out, straightening up from her bent over position, “Besides, it’s only five minutes, it’s fine… Where’s Grover?”

“He said he was going to meet us there.” Luke frowned, “I think he was hanging out with Percy this afternoon.”

Annabeth grimaced. _Ugh._

Perseus Jackson. The posterboy for everything Annabeth hated. They hadn’t met, not officially, but she knew enough about him to know they would never in a million years get along. To start, he was the son of Poseidon, Athena’s nemesis, and not to mention his reputation for being a monster hunter! He was the type Annabeth despised the most, cocky, convinced he could beat anything the world threw at him. Annabeth knew better- she’d seen her fair share of Demigods and mortals alike killed for underestimating a monster, And the fact that he didn’t take it seriously? She couldn’t stand it. At least her text-friend seemed to have _some_ respect for monsters.

And then there was Percy’s fame for being a child of the Big Three.

There were only a few in existence, as Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon had sworn on the River Styx (after a particularly nasty incident) to avoid having children with mortals but… accidents still happened.

There was Thalia herself, daughter of Zeus. Her being claimed had been a shock, the first kid in over 100 years to be born to the top Gods, and she was quickly followed by Percy. There was Thalia’s brother after that, a couple daughters of Hades and a son. Just six. In the entire world, six Demigods were children to the most powerful Gods in this plane of existence. 

And of those six, there was only one son of Poseidon.

And where Annabeth tried to avoid riding her mother’s coattails, Percy Jackson seemed to relish in his parentage. He was known for his partying, his lack of seriousness, he was invited to all sorts of bashes and get-togethers, he was almost never in class- the more she thought about him the angrier she felt.

“I don’t know why Grover hangs around that guy.” She shook her head.

Thalia shrugged, “He’s not so bad, and they’ve basically been best friends since we were freshmen.”

“Since _you_ were freshmen.” Luke corrected. He had graduated a few years prior, but worked just outside campus so the Juniors still saw him often.

“ _Anyway,_ ” Annabeth continued, “let’s just get to the restaurant and…” her voice trailed off. About a hundred feet away, a woman stood, long brown hair pulled into a braid over her shoulder, deep grey eyes clear even from a distance. She was watching them, and Annabeth swallowed. 

But then a group of students passed between them, and the woman was gone.

“And… what?” Luke laughed at her expression, and threw his arms over Annabeth and Thalia’s shoulders, steering them to the arched exit that led to the inner city, “Alright Spacey, we shouldn’t leave Grover waiting. Let’s go!”

_*****_

The Dancing Drake was less of a restaurant and more of a pub, a popular haunt for college-aged mortals and Demigods alike. They served alcohol, coffee, and hot greasy food, with tables and couches scattering the room. There was Karaoke in the corner, board games on the shelves, and plenty of space to just hang out.

They arrived early enough for it not to be packed yet and easily slid into an empty booth.

“I’ll be right with ya!” a girl behind the counter called, mixing drinks for a couple sitting close together at the bar, limbs practically entangled. Annabeth rolled her eyes at the display, turning her attention to the flimsy plastic menus in front of them. The whole place smelled of fries and booze with something else- hazelnut? Must be from the coffee.

“Should we get cheesy fries to share?” Thalia asked, flipping through her own menu.

Annabeth was quick to respond, “Definitely.”

“So, Annabeth,” Luke leaned on the table, his expression unreadable, “Thalia told me you had a run-in with a Hellhound?”

The blonde glared at her friend, who was suddenly _very_ interested in desserts, before answering, “Uh, yeah, but it was nothing! Really!”

His blue eyes glittered. “Forgetting to turn your phone off, running late, what have you been up to?”

“Nothing, I just…” Thalia was staring intently at her now too and Annabeth gnawed her lip. She didn’t want to tell them about the stranger she’d been texting, at least not yet. It was one of the few things she had to herself these days. That and… she was a little embarrassed, though she couldn’t place why.

“It’s… this Marine Monsters course that’s screwing me up, that’s all.” she finally said, revealing a weakness she previously would have protected with her life.

Luke nodded sagely, “Yes, the curse.”

“What?”

Thalia jumped in, “You know, Poseidon made it like, impossible for Athena’s brainchildren to pass any class having to do with his domain.”

So she had been right! There was a curse!

“Wow, what a lovely individual.” she muttered, though her expression easily switched to a sunnier disposition as the waitress stopped by to take their drink orders.

Grover arrived soon after, his hooves clopping on the vinyl floors as he flew through the door, nearly running into a group entering in front of him, “Sorry, sorry!” he shouted, his curly hair frizzing around the horns on his head.

The satyr slid into the booth next to Luke, breathless and sweaty and red in the face, “I-I’m here! What did I miss?”

“Annabeth’s learning the hard way about Poseidon’s hatred for her mom.” Thalia snorted, taking a swig from her gross bottled beer.

“It’s not like I didn’t know! I just didn’t realize how… I didn’t think it would affect my classes!” she complained, a pout evident on her face.

Grover winced. You didn’t come between Annabeth and her grades, not if you wanted to live, “Oh man, that sucks, is it the uh… Nautical Monsters class?”

“Marine Monsters, yes.” she corrected, taking a sip of her own drink.

Luke stretched a hand out, placing it over Annabeth’s and catching her eyes, “If you want, I can help you study.”

“Um, no that’s okay. I’m managing.” She pulled her arm away, suddenly feeling self-conscious and uncomfortable. She hadn’t wanted anyone to know at all, and now her friends were pitying her. Luke’s hand retreated but his calculating eyes didn’t leave her face, his expression still unreadable.

“So, Grover, you’re still hanging out with Perseus then?” she didn’t mean for her voice to sound accusatory, but it did anyway.

The satyr squeaked, having been over interested in the menu, nibbling on the edge of it nervously, “Oh uh, Percy? Yeah, why?”

“No reason.” she tried to sound nonchalant, stirring the ice in her cup with her straw.

He looked between the three of them, goatee quivering, “You guys… don’t like me being friends with Percy?”

“No, no that’s not it at all!” Thalia gave a comforting smile, before nudging Annabeth a bit harder than she needed to, “Right? Annabeth?”

“Right.”

“You can be friends with whoever you want to buddy.” Luke took a sip of his coffee, “But the guy’s dad is making things hard for our resident brainchild, you know?”

“Oh he can’t help that though!” the goat boy protested, his gaze sweeping around the table with a hint of desperation, “I mean, no more than any of you can control your parents!”

That seemed to make Luke pause, “I suppose you’re right, Groves.” he finally relented, waving down the waitress to put in their order of cheesy fries (and some empty tin cans for Grover, if they had any).

“Honestly, it’s ok.” Annabeth gave Grover a smile, and he returned it gratefully. She knew his friendship with Percy meant a lot to him- he’d been the one to scout the son of Poseidon for the school in the first place, and the two had been close ever since. But something about it stung- Annabeth, Luke, Thalia, and Grover had known each other at a young age, brought together at a summer camp for kids like them. 

The camp had a tradition, for young demigods to race there with no one but a satyr to escort them and nothing but their wits to survive the monsters of the world. Their group had made the trek in record time when Annabeth herself had only been 11 years old. It had given them notoriety, and even better- their parents took notice.

She was suddenly reminded of the woman from earlier, and bit her lip, glancing around the pub. No one suspicious, or out of place. With a sigh of relief, she settled back into the booth, ready for a chill night with her friends.

“So, you guys hear about the new Temple they’re building downtown?” she changed the subject.

It went as usual. They played hacky sack, which always inevitably ended up with Grover taking a rather large bite out of the ball. They shared cheesy fries, told Luke about school, teased each other, and so Annabeth’s guard was down when she arrived back to the dorms later that evening, head buzzing a little from the drinks.

The first thing she noticed was the window was open. Cool September air was breezing through her white curtains, and her hand started to go to the knife strapped to her hip, when a familiar voice interrupted her movements.

“Annabeth.”

“... Mother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth needs a tutor! How the turn tables!
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for being my amazing beta readers! Go check them out!


	5. Weakness and Worry

Athena was intimidating. 

That was putting it lightly. 

Annabeth wasn’t used to being towered over, at least not by other women, but she could feel the chill of her mother’s gaze, those deep, grey eyes literally looking down on her. Her expression was unreadable, and despite assurances to the contrary from her friends, Annabeth wondered if her own eyes were so cold and calculating.

A strong gust of wind blew past the open window. Aside from the flutter of her pencil skirt and her dark brown hair, which was neatly plaited over one shoulder, there was no reaction from Athena. Annabeth, however, shivered.

She dropped her bag, her instincts at war. On one hand, she was desperate to run up to her mother, hug her, tell her how much she missed her, talk about normal things like school and class… on the other, she wanted to bolt out of the room and never look back.

Neither option would make the goddess particularly happy, so instead, Annabeth nodded her head curtly, “...Mother.”

“Was your night enjoyable?” Athena gestured to the bed, sitting herself on Annabeth’s desk chair. The blonde crossed the room easily, answering as she did.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Good. And class?”

“Fine. Why…” she bit her lip, settling on the mattress and facing her mother, “Why are you here? Not that I’m not happy to see you,” she added quickly. 

Athena smiled, or at least the corners of her mouth turned up. It didn’t quite reach those cold eyes. 

“Straight to the point. That’s why I’m here, Annabeth. Of all my children, you have yet to disappoint.”

Those words weighed heavy on Annabeth’s shoulders and she felt her heart rate pick up. Was she here to ask for a quest? It would be an honor, but she didn’t have the time for such things right now! Surely her mother knew this?

“The Temple,” Athena continued, “you’ve heard of it, of course?”

“Yes…  _ your  _ Temple.” Of course she had heard of it. It was meant to be the largest testament to the gods since Zeus’ was built in the 1800s, and it was intended to be dedicated to his right hand; Athena.

That cold smile tightened.

“Mine. It’s meant to be, yes, however we’ve hit a… snag.”

“Snag?”

“Poseidon.” The goddess sighed heavily, standing to slowly pace the small area of Annabeth’s bedroom, “He disapproves of course. He never forgave me for Athens… neither the original nor the new one.”

“So… he wants it for himself?”

“It would be better if he did. Such an unreasonable request would be rejected instantly by Zeus- no, Poseidon wants it for all Gods. Something to feed everyone’s power.” She turned to face Annabeth again, “A seemingly fair gesture, but it’s clear he intends to undermine everything I have worked for the past millennia.”

“Ah.” Annabeth waited.

“And so… Zeus has agreed to allow the people of New Athens to decide it’s fate.”

“A vote?” That had never happened before. The nation had its own government of course- the Gods were present, and people knew of them, but they did not care to actually govern the people of the world beyond their domains. That led to being asked to do things, being blamed for events, and all sorts of mess the Gods had no time for. So to allow this sort of sway from the public…

It was kind of a big deal.

Annabeth swallowed, an idea of what her mother was about to ask already forming in her mind, “And so we… campaign?”

“Yes, Annabeth, exactly. And I want you to lead the charge.”

“W-what?” her blood ran cold. It was a high honor, for a god to request help from their children, and Annabeth was glad her mother thought of her first, but even then, the responsibility… It was a lot to take in.

“Must I repeat myself?”

“I… n-no, mother, it would be a privilege!” Despite her misgivings, Annabeth’s mind was already racing with ways to convince the city that a temple dedicated to Athena would be the best course of action. 

“Good.” A real smile now, and Annabeth basked in it, “And should you succeed… I would like you to design it.”

What?

Annabeth gaped at her mother. A whole temple… to build herself?! The possibilities flooded her mind, her plans, her hopes, her dreams- all falling into place as Athena continued.

“Well I shall send over the details in the morning, you must be tired.”

“Wait, mom, I-“ so many thoughts rushed through her mind, questions that needed answering.

“Goodnight.” But just like that, Athena was gone, and Annabeth was alone in the dark of her room.

*****

When Annabeth turned on her phone the next morning to text Luke, begging him for help, she wasn’t expecting a message to already be there.

_ 7:21AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ morning wise girl! _

She bit back a smile, though confusion clouded her thoughts. She’d never gotten a “good morning” text before, other than the occasional one from her father, which she hardly thought counted.

_ 8:07AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ You’re up early, aren’t you? _

_ 8:07AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ gods i am, arent i?  
_ _ not my choice haha  
_ _ can u believe that my friend convinced me to take an 8am class with him??? _

_ 8:08AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ The horror!  
_ _ So… you’re texting me from class now? _

_ 8:08AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ duh  
_ _ its boring as hell haha _

_ 8:09AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ What class? _

_ 8:09AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ hero theory  
_ _ i thought it sounded cool, right?  
_ _ learning about guys and what made them heroes and all that  
_ _ didnt realize theyd require so much thinking  
_ _ can u believe we have to write a paper??? _

As the texts came flooding in, Annabeth rolled out of bed and began padding around her room, getting ready for the day. Might as well, if he was going to talk so much. She knew the exact class he was referencing, and knew plenty of guys like him who took it for the same reasons; it seems like an easy grade, but was deceptively complicated. Not only did they require you to understand the motivations and weaknesses of past heroes, but you had to analyze your own.

_ 8:14AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ So have you figured it out yet?  
_ _ Your weakness and stuff? _

_ 8:14AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ oh man haha  
_ _ why, gonna use it against me? _

_ 8:15AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Maybe. _

_ 8:15AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ is it lame if i say “other people”? _

_ 8:15AM WISE GIRL   
_ _ What do you mean? _

_ 8:16AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ like  
_ _ my loyalty to them haha _

_ 8:16AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ That’s not lame at all  
_ _ I think it’s kind of sweet. _

_ 8:16AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ so? what about u?  
_ _ whats ur biggest weakness _

Annabeth hesitated, in the midst of brushing her teeth when his question came through. She expected it, of course, and having taken the class herself, it wasn’t like she wasn’t familiar with her own fatal flaw, but there was something… intimate about revealing it to someone else. Of course, he had done so easily, and to a stranger no less. She wondered who that said more about? 

_ 8:18AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ come ooooooon  
_ _ i told you mine! _

_ 8:18AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Hubris.  
_ _ You know, like pride. _

_ 8:18AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ i know what hubris is!  
_ _ in fact, i enjoy it with crackers quite often. _

Annabeth couldn’t contain her snort, bending over to spit toothpaste out in the sink before responding.

_ 8:19AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Not hummus you dork!  
_ _ Gods, your head really is full of kelp _

_ 8:20AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ hey now  
_ _ im not the one whos biggest weakness is a delicious and savory dip _

_ 8:20AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Has anyone ever told you you’re an idiot? _

_ 8:21AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ for sure  
_ _ but i like when u do it  
_ _ ;p _

Was he… flirting? Had they  _ been  _ flirting? That was weird… right? They didn’t even know who was on the other end!

Definitely weird. Totally weird. 

So why was she so tempted to keep doing it?

_ 8:23AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I’ll make sure to tell you more often then _

_ 8:23AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ i look forward to it _

With a grin, she set the phone down and began the rest of her morning ritual, thanking the Gods for the millionth time that she had her own bathroom- Freshmen dorms were saddled with communal baths and it had been the worst mornings of her life, trying to get ready surrounded by noise and other girls. She preferred the quiet, feeling each day like she was preparing for battle, putting on the armor she’d wear until her head hit the pillow at night, and that was easier when there was room for contemplation and meditation.

Plus, she liked having the mirror all to herself.

Blonde curls that had been pulled up into a bun for sleeping were falling out and around her face. Her legs were long, her arms too, and her skin, once deeply tanned due to her summers spent at camp as a child, was lighter now, but still dark enough to offset her grey eyes magnificently. She wondered about her text-friend again. Would he be disappointed by what he saw if they met? Would she be his type?

Demigods were known for many things, but their attractiveness was often whispered about. Annabeth found it silly- Demigods had fantastic powers, they were monster killing machines, and yet mortals wanted to discuss how they  _ looked?  _ But now, staring at herself in the mirror, she was a little grateful for the trait.

With a sigh, she finished up and flicked off the lights, pulling on her clothes, and slinging her bag over her shoulder 

She pressed her phone to her ear as she left the room, already dialing Luke’s number.

Voicemail, of course.

“Luke! Hey, I have a favor to ask you…”

_ ***** _

Luke Castellan was a genius at celestial law. He’d been top of his class at graduation, and had accepted the job at a firm in the city almost immediately after, though he had offers from all over the world.

Godly law and mortal law were quite different. For starters, the Gods didn’t have to answer to mortal courts and governments, but upon being revealed to the world, it became clear that certain things like “fairness” and “justice” mattered to the mortals the Gods wanted to worship them. The Greeks lost quite a bit of their following for various transgressions, and Zeus trying to smite them only drove more away, and so he saw fit to establish the celestial courts, where gods could be tried for their crimes and punished accordingly, or if some zealous mortal wanted to sue them, they certainly could try.

The goddess Themis was the overseer of the system. And if there was a conflict over who a temple was going to be dedicated to…

Luke would have some ideas.

“I don’t have any ideas,” the male demigod straightened his tie and leaned back in his office chair, leaving Annabeth flabbergasted across the desk.

“But… you know all about this stuff!” she protested, leaning forward as a desperate tone entered her voice, “More than me at least!”

“I’m a lawyer, Annabeth, not a campaign manager.” He smiled, apparently stifling a laugh as she got more flustered, flopping back in her chair.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” she bemoaned, playing with her phone in her hands. It was off, of course, but despite the current pressing situation, she couldn’t help but wonder about her text-friend.

Luke sat up straighter, templing his fingers. “Well, if I were you, I’d start by doing a bit of canvassing.”

“Canvassing?”

“Polling.”

“I know what canvassing is.”

He nodded. “Right. Get an idea of what people want, what they think of Athena, the other Gods, how they think it would help them… The power of one temple to one God would be far more than one dedicated to many.” 

He looked thoughtful now, as if something had just occurred to him, “There may be legal precedent for Athena to get her temple first.”

“Really?!”

“It’s a long shot, but I’ll pull up the relevant cases and see if there’s anything I can do for you.”

Annabeth shot up out of her seat, smile wide, “Oh my Gods, Luke, thank you that would be… amazing.”

“And even if I don’t find anything, I’ll still do my best to help you win this thing. Promise.”

“Won’t your dad be upset?”

“Hermes? Nah, I doubt he cares that much.” Luke stood as well, coming around the desk to walk Annabeth to his door, “At least, I’d be surprised if he did.”

She turned to say goodbye, positively beaming, when it happened.

Luke leaned down and kissed her cheek. 

Annabeth's whole body went rigid. He had never done anything like that before. She felt her hands grow cold and her face fell to a look of confusion. Luke only laughed at her shock.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, Annabeth.”

“Um. Yeah, good, thank you.”

He closed the door, and Annabeth was left feeling… weird. She pretended not to notice, but Luke had been acting more… affectionate, recently. Maybe they just were that close, maybe he thought nothing of it, but something was bugging Annabeth that she couldn’t quite place. She didn’t like it.

Still reeling, she made her way out of the J&J Law Firm offices and stepped out onto the busy sidewalk. The sunlight made her blink several times, people walking to and from jobs, meetings, and other such city business. The very people she needed to convince.

Part of her wished her mother hadn’t asked for her help, never offered to let her build the temple either. It was so much responsibility, she thought she might be crushed under it. 

But, after taking a deep breath, she started down the road, in the opposite direction of the school and towards the subway. She needed to get out of the city, clear her head a bit. The woods would be a good place, teeming with monsters and and other unsavory folks.

Annabeth Chase was looking for a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh, mom wanting something is never good!
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for being my amazing beta readers! Go check them out!


	6. Fighting and Flirting

Percy Jackson was in over his head. 

Again. 

But it was most definitely not his fault this time.

Ducking and weaving between blasts of fire and the dense trees, he finally spotted a boulder that would serve as suitable cover until he got his bearings, diving across the clearing to reach it. He rolled, landing upright and uncapping Riptide, the pen growing into a full sword as hideous laughter followed him.

“Come out little Demigod~! Don’t you want to play?” The one he knew as “Kelli” taunted.

Ok, maybe he should have known better than to follow a hot girl into the forests outside the city by himself after class, and _maybe_ he should have been suspicious when “Tammi” appeared from behind a tree, but they both seemed normal at first! Unfortunately, he was far from most forms of protection.

Percy peeked out over the rock, then quickly ducked again as another ball of fire sailed over his head, singeing the ends of his unkempt hair.

“Uh, ladies?” he called out, “Not that this isn’t fun, but it’s not _exactly_ what I had in mind when you said ‘alone time.’”

The two Empousai hissed with what must have been their version of giggles. Typical. Of course the first girl he tries to hook up with in several weeks turns out to be a monster. Then again, this was the longest he’d gone without taking a girl out since college began, and it was all _her_ fault. 

Wise Girl.

 _His_ Wise Girl.

They’d only talked a few times, but he was entirely captivated. She was smart, sarcastic, and put up with his ridiculous text messages- and he _knew_ they had been ridiculous. It had only been about a month, but no one had talked to him like he was a normal person in a long time, and he craved it. Even so, he still had other _urges,_ and that was what led to his current predicament. As more fire rained down on his little spot of safety, he made a silent promise to himself not to pursue any more random girls. Nope. He was going to be the undateable Percy Jackson when he survived.

 _If_ he survived.

He thought back to his classes, trying to remember what he knew about Empousai. There wasn’t a trick to killing them, right? He just had to get close enough to slash at them with his Celestial Bronze sword… right?

He briefly entertained the idea of asking Wise Girl, but any hopes of texting her were doused as he heard the villainous demonesses close in. It was a strange noise, _thump clop, thump clop, thump clop,_ as their mismatched legs carried them to his hideout, and he knew he’d have to do something reckless. Something stupid, even. But hey, he was all about reckless and stupid.

With a yell, he jumped up as high as he could, surprising the Empousa to the left (Tammi, he remembered) as he landed on top of the rock, swinging Riptide and watching the girl in the cheerleading uniform dissipate into dust with a _hisssssss._

One down. He smirked as Kelli screached, lamenting the death of her sister.

“You… You little rat! You’ll pay for this!” the demoness reared back, forming another ball of fire in her hands as Percy readied himself to dodge. He’d have to be fast, faster than he probably _could_ move, he admitted to himself, but just as he was getting ready to withstand 2nd degree burns...

Kelli gasped. Her eyes widened, lips moving to form an “o” as she looked down at her chest, the tip of a knife poking through where her heart might have been. And then she collapsed into dust and smoke as well.

There was a girl behind her, a baseball cap in one hand, a Celestial Bronze knife in the other.

And man was she beautiful.

Percy couldn’t help it. He gawked, openly, as the girl sheathed her knife and tucked the cap into her pocket, crossing her arms. She was tan, with startling grey eyes and curly blonde hair- her legs long and slender, toned muscle evident throughout her body. He tried his best not to obviously check her out, but he couldn’t help himself as he eyed her through the ash. She was familiar too, though he had trouble placing exactly where, and she practically glowered at him.

“You’re welcome.”

“Huh?” he said, sounding intelligent.

The girl rolled her eyes with a huff, “You’re welcome. You know, for saving you.”

He frowned, “I had it under control.”

“Sure you did.”

Percy hopped off the stone, capping Riptide and dusting his pants off with his hands, “Look, it was nice of you to uh… stab the demon cheerleader, or whatever, but I didn’t need your help.”

“You were about to be a Demigod barbeque, Perseus.”

Ok, he took it back. She wasn’t beautiful, she was _annoying._

“It’s Percy.” he snapped, even more annoyed that she knew his name and he didn’t know hers, “and you’re…?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” She tossed her head, long blonde curls bouncing in their ponytail as she did. Her neck, smooth and slim, was particularly distracting, and Percy swallowed, trying again.

“Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot- I’m um… grateful, for what you did.”

She eyed him, and he felt completely vulnerable. It was like she could see right through him, his weaknesses were all on display under her gaze. 

After a moment, she dropped her arms, apparently deciding to let her guard down.

“Annabeth.”

“Huh?”

“My _name_.”

“Oh.” He paused. Wait… he knew that name, “ _Oh._ ”

She raised an eyebrow.

“You… _you’re_ Annabeth! Annabeth Chase!”

Annabeth Chase did _not_ look pleased. “Yes, that’s me.”

“Your mom is Athena- oh man, Grover has told me so much about you!”

Alarm graced her features, “He… he _what?!_ ”

“Yeah, you’re an Architecture major, right?”

“... Civil Engineering, yes.”

“Cool.” he grinned, “Though with skills like that, you totally should become a monster hunter instead.”

The smile was not returned. In fact, Annabeth seemed to grow more frustrated, “Why?” she managed to shoot at him, glaring icy daggers with those beautiful grey eyes, “So I can be like you and nearly get killed every weekend?”

“Woah, let’s get one thing straight,” his grin disappeared again, “I was not almost killed, like I said, I had it under control. And I don’t do this every weekend!”

She snorted, “Just most?”

“What does it matter to you?”

“It doesn’t!”

“Good!”

“Great!"

“Fine!”

Silence hung in the air around them, not even the sounds of the woods breaking it. Finally, with a huff, Annabeth spun on her heel and started the walk to the city. Percy hurried after her, wanting to get back before his next class. He’d have to tell Grover all about this crazy afternoon, oh and mention he finally met Annabeth, and she apparently _hated_ him for some reason-

“Stop that!” she suddenly whirled on him and he put his hands up defensively.

“What?”

“Following me!”

“I’m… I’m not. This is the way back to campus.” he pointed out.

Annabeth didn’t seem to have a response to this, other than to huff again and turn once more, marching away while Percy followed at a greater distance than before. Okay. So she _really_ hated him. Great.

It wasn’t long before the trees began to give way to paths, paths to roads, and roads to buildings, the subway station in sight as they passed through the magical barrier that protected the city. It always sent cool tingles down Percy’s spine, and he swung his arms, feeling better already now that they were back in civilization.

“See you later, Annabeth!” Percy called, smirking at her glare as they parted ways. He couldn’t help himself. Annoying her seemed fun.

He was still smiling when he turned and ran almost headfirst into his father. 

“Woah- D-dad!” Percy’s eyes widened as a strong hand reached out to steady him.

Poseidon’s sea green eyes twinkled, “Percy. There’s something I would like to talk to you about.”

“Uh… ok, but in my defense, I didn’t know they were Empousai and I already killed them.”

His father raised an eyebrow, “I’m not here to discuss what you do in your freetime, Percy.”

“Oh. Uh… Right. Ok, what’s up?”

“Not here. I’ve made reservations.” And just like that, they disappeared off the street without even a pop.

_*****_

Annabeth didn’t feel as satisfied as she hoped she would, returning to campus.

She didn’t entirely understand what drove people like Percy Jackson and her mysterious text-friend to go after monsters. She had thought, maybe, if she did it herself, she would get it- but the reasons remained as elusive as ever. The Empousa hadn’t been much work to kill, and she didn’t feel alive, or a rush of adrenaline, she just felt… empty. And exhausted, despite doing little more than plunging a knife into someone’s back. Maybe that was Percy’s fault.

Oh, how he frustrated her!

Grumbling under her breath about idiots, she pulled out her phone, flipping it on. She needed to talk to someone about the Empousai, her mother, the campaign, anything, and so she texted the first person to come to mind.

 _3:46PM WISE GIRL  
_ _You wouldn’t believe the day I had._

Much to her disappointment, Seaweed Brain didn’t answer. Much to her surprise, her phone started ringing.

“Hello?”

“Yo, Annabeth!” Thalia’s smile could be heard through her voice, “You busy?”

“Not currently, no.”

“Great! We’re going to give a certain Reyna Ramírez-Arellano a tour of the school.”

“... Huh?”

“You know, that Roman girl I talk so much about?”

“I know who she is, but why-?”

“I’ll explain later!”

“But-!”

“Meet me by the entrance in five! Ok, bye!”

“Wait, no Thalia-”

Aaaaand she hung up. 

Reyna Ramírez-Arellano was notorious. The youngest Praetor New Rome had ever seen, and on top of that a fearsome daughter of Bellona and sister to the leader of the Amazonians, she had quite the reputation.

Thalia was head over heels for her.

Still, that didn’t exactly explain why Reyna was _here._ Outside of quests, and the occasional exchange field trip between Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, the Romans tended to stay on the West Coast while the Greeks kept to themselves in the East. 

With a sigh, Annabeth tucked her phone into her pocket (making sure to switch it off this time), and headed toward the designated meeting spot.

Reyna was already there, looking comfortable in a purple shirt and jeans, and squinting at a brochure.

Thalia, of course, was nowhere to be found.

Annabeth sighed, walking up to the brunette herself, “Reyna? Hey, I’m Annabeth-”

“I know who you are.” Her voice sounded matter of fact. She didn’t even look up at first, though when she did she gave Annabeth a once over, “Daughter of Minerva, yes?”

“Athena.” She corrected, bristling a bit at the other girl’s tone. 

Athena’s kids weren’t usually accepted by most Romans, Minerva being a virgin goddess and not one associated with war like she was with the Greeks. That position was held by Bellona instead. 

After a moment of the two girls sizing each other up, deciding whether or not respect was deserved, Reyna dropped the attitude and smiled. Maybe she realized her own prejudices, or maybe she recognized a kindred spirit in Annabeth. Holding out her hand, she spoke, “A pleasure, Chase.”

Annabeth relaxed, accepting the handshake with her own grin. “Right back at you. What brings you to New Athens?”

“Grad school.” Reyna tucked the brochure into her back pocket as she spoke. “I’m here for a few weeks to check out the campus, see if your University might serve me better than the one in New Rome.”

“Aren’t you a sophomore though?”

Reyna shrugged, “Never too early to see my options.”

Annabeth, a junior, supposed that was true. It was almost time for her to decide if she wanted to continue schooling after graduation herself, or go straight into the workforce with her Bachelors. The thought made her queasy, so she quickly changed the subject.

“Thalia is late, then?"

A nod from the brunette. “Yes, I told her I could find my own way around, but she insisted on giving me a tour.”

That sounded like Thalia, who ran up panting as they spoke of her. It reminded Annabeth of herself the day before.

“Oof, sorry about that! Got caught up in uh… class.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re skipping!”

“Alright, I’m not skipping.” Thalia grinned, then turned to Reyna with a twinkle in her eye. “But who else would be ready and able to show Miss Praetor here around properly?”

The Roman blushed lightly and Annabeth bit back a chuckle. Something told her Reyna wouldn’t appreciate being laughed at.

The three girls started off across the quad, Thalia pointing out the buildings and other locations, Annabeth wondering why she had to be here in the first place. She wasn’t exactly the greatest wingwoman, yet Thalia insisted on bringing her along whenever she had interest in a guy or girl.

Maybe she was trying to get Annabeth to date too.

The thought was ludicrous, but Annabeth glanced at Thalia all the same, wondering if her friend was trying to put the idea of dating in her head. It would be an odd, roundabout way to do so, but Thalia learned long ago that talking to Annabeth about dating was absolutely futile. Maybe this was her way of subliminally suggesting it. Which would be weird. Definitely weird.

It wasn’t like Annabeth _never_ had any interest in anyone! But while others seemed consumed by it, she would rather direct that focus and energy to her studies. There had been a boy here or there in the past, but nothing serious.

At least, nothing until now.

Not that she was serious about Seaweed Brain, she hardly knew him, but no one had quite captured her curiosity and interest before like he did. He was bold to a fault, impertinent throughout their conversations, acting as if they were long time friends. He seemed to trust her in a way she didn’t understand, mainly because it was difficult for her to trust even her closest friends the way he did.

And all this, because of a few texts.

Annabeth was so lost in thought, she didn’t notice Thalia calling her name until it was too late.

“Annabeth!”

“What?” She snapped out of it, Reyna and Thalia both staring at her. She got defensive, “What?!” she repeated.

“I was _saying_ ,” Thalia continued, “That Reyna would benefit greatly from our Heroics Program, right?”

Annabeth blinked. “Right, of course, she’d be a shoe-in.”

Addressing Reyna, she continued. “It draws in Half Bloods for miles around since it gives a full ride scholarship. Now, you do have to take some advanced fighting and monster literacy classes, since the idea is we’re ‘training heroes,’ but with your background, I bet you’d get in no problem.”

“Interesting.” Reyna seemed to consider it, studying her brochure once more, “I’ll certainly look into it.

Thalia did a fist pump when Reyna couldn’t see. Annabeth giggled.

The tour didn’t take too much longer, and soon the three parted ways, Thalia having convinced Reyna to go out for drinks and Annabeth insisting she had to get back home to study.

Really, she needed to work on the game plan for her mother’s temple, and maybe she wanted to talk to her text-friend a bit too. Which is why she was delighted when she finally got back to the dorms and turned on her phone to see the messages flood in.

 _5:43PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _oh gods my day sucked too  
_ _well it didnt all suck  
_ _i got to hang out with my dad a bit_

His dad? So his father was mortal then- godly parents _never_ just “hung out” with their kids. And while it was not uncommon for gods to have children from same-sex relationships, he didn’t seem like a child of Dionysus or Apollo, the two gods most likely to be caught up in such an affair. Musing about if he was a son of Hecate, or maybe Demeter (he _was_ powerful, or so he said), she quickly wrote back.

 _5:46PM WISE GIRL  
_ _That’s not too bad  
_ _I had to deal with nonsense all day.  
_ _And entirely too much work._

 _5:46PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _awww im sorry wise girl :(  
_ _would it cheer u up if i said i had to deal with that stuff too???_

 _5:46PM WISE GIRL  
_ _I don’t know if that would cheer me up  
_ _Now I just feel sorry for the both of us._

 _5:47PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _well damn haha  
_ _need to change my cheer up tactics then  
_ _ummm  
_ _how do u feel about blue food?_

Annabeth squinted at her screen, trying to confirm she read that right.

 _5:48PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Blue food?  
_ _That’s kind of random  
_ _It’s ok? I haven’t really eaten blue food before._

 _5:48PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _oh man  
_ _its the best  
_ _ok when is ur bday???_

She debated giving it to him. Not many people knew it, so he couldn’t figure out who she was through her birthday, right?

 _5:48PM WISE GIRL  
_ _July 12th_

 _5:49PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _aw shit  
_ _i missed it_

 _5:49PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Why does that matter?_

 _5:50PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _i was gonna bake u a cupcake!_

 _5:50PM WISE GIRL  
_ _What  
_ _You can bake??_

 _5:51PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _haha yeah  
_ _is that surprising or something?_

She tried imagining the same guy who seemed to get caught up in fights every other day wearing an apron and bustling around the kitchen with a sword strapped to his hip. It was a silly image.

 _5:51PM WISE GIRL  
_ _A little bit, yeah.  
_ _Thank you though, that’s sweet._

 _5:51PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ill just have to make u one for the solstice  
_ _theyre delicious_

_5:51PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Well, when’s yours?  
_ _Birthday, I mean_

 _5:51PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _august 18!_

 _5:52PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Ah  
_ _Missed it._

 _5:52PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _dont worry, we can celebrate next year_

Next year? Was he serious?

 _5:52PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Do you think we will still be texting then?_

 _5:52PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _of course  
_ _ur fun to talk to  
_ _why would we stop?_

 _5:52PM WISE GIRL  
_ _I don’t know…  
_ _It’s just weird, isn’t it?  
_ _Talking like this, I mean_

 _5:53PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _not really!!!  
_ _people meet over the internet all the time  
_ _how is this any different?_

 _5:53PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Well for starters, I don’t even know what you look like!  
_ _Yet we’re talking at all hours of the day  
_ _First thing in the morning, late into the night..._

 _5:53PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _do looks matter that much?  
_ _would u stop talking to me if i didnt look how u expect?_

She thought about it. Maybe she had been coming across as shallow, but honestly? No matter who he turned out to be, she couldn’t imagine ghosting him. That was no reason to ruin the start of a friendship.

 _5:54PM WISE GIRL  
_ _I wouldn’t stop._

 _5:54PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _i think its more fun this way  
_ _like a mystery!_

 _5:54PM WISE GIRL  
_ _You really don’t care who I am?_

 _5:55PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _nah  
_ _its ur mind and heart that matter, right?  
_ _and so far  
_ _i like what i see of both, wise girl_

Annabeth bit her lip, heart fluttering. 

_5:55PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Are you flirting with me?_

 _5:55PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _haha  
_ _sometimes  
_ _should i stop?_

 _5:56PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Don’t you dare._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so they meet! And it goes... well, not great.
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for being my amazing beta readers! Go check them out!


	7. Trivia and Travel

_3:47PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Thanks so much for helping me study, by the way_

 _3:47PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _sure thing, wise girl  
_ _happy to do it_

 _3:47PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Why, because it gives you bragging rights?_

 _3:48PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _a little bit, maybe, haha!_

 _3:48PM WISE GIRL  
_ _No but really, thank you.  
_ _I know for a fact that this class would be impossible for me to complete without your help._

 _3:48PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _hey, u would do the same for me  
_ _dont worry about it_

_*****_

_9:04PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _what r the heads of the chimera?_

 _9:04PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Lion, goat, serpent  
_ _You aren’t fighting it, are you???_

 _9:05PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _nah haha its trivia night!_

 _9:05PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Isn’t asking me cheating, then?_

 _9:05PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _maybe  
_ _but you’ll help me wont u?_

 _9:05PM WISE GIRL  
_ _What’s the next question_

 _9:06PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _who guards the sea of monsters?_

 _9:06PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Scylla and Charybdis_

 _9:07PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _favorite tree of athens???_

 _9:07PM WISE GIRL  
_ _You mean their patron tree?  
_ _Olive._

 _9:08PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _whos the smartest demigod_

 _9:08PM WISE GIRL  
_ _????  
_ _Daedalus???_

 _9:08PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _wrong!  
_ _its u, wise girl ;)_

 _9:09PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Haha, very funny._

_*****_

_3:07AM WISE GIRL  
_ _Hey_

 _3:10AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _woah ur up late_

 _3:10AM WISE GIRL  
_ _Yeah._

 _3:10AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _something wrong?_

 _3:10AM WISE GIRL  
_ _How could you tell?_

 _3:11AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _gut feeling?  
_ _idk haha  
_ _do u want to talk about it?_

 _3:11AM WISE GIRL  
_ _Not really  
_ _It was just a bad dream  
_ _Sorry, did I wake you?_

 _3:11AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _nah i was still up  
_ _do you have bad dreams a lot?_

 _3:12AM WISE GIRL  
_ _Yeah…  
_ _I’m sorry, this is dumb, you don’t want to hear about my problems  
_ _You were just the first person I thought to text..._

 _3:12AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _hey i doubt ur problems r dumb  
_ _i bet theyre really great problems  
_ _id pay u to tell me about ur problems_

 _3:12AM WISE GIRL  
_ _Haha_

 _3:13AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _we dont have to talk about it if u dont want to  
_ _but i dont mind staying up if thats what u need_

 _3:13AM WISE GIRL  
_ _Really? You’d do that?_

 _3:13AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _of course  
_ _lay it on me._

_*****_

_10:23AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _whats ur favorite spot in the world_

 _10:23AM WISE GIRL  
_ _Hmm.  
_ _Probably the Parthenon in Greece._

 _10:24AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _really? u been there?_

 _10:24AM WISE GIRL  
_ _Well no…  
_ _Did you mean favorite place I’ve been to, then?_

 _10:25AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _haha yeah!_

 _10:25AM WISE GIRL  
_ _Well, what’s your favorite spot?_

 _10:25AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _hang on a sec, u didnt answer!_

 _10:26AM WISE GIRL  
_ _I want to know yours first._

 _10:25AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _well damn ok!  
_ _theres this little cabin in montauk  
_ _its right by the ocean and u can see the stars like crazy out there_

 _10:25AM WISE GIRL  
_ _That sounds amazing._

10:25AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
 _yeah?  
ill have to take u there sometime, wise girl_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter this week! Sounds like they're getting closer...
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for helping edit this fanfiction of mine! Go check them out!


	8. Coffee and Campaigns

_ 8:12AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Good morning, Seaweed Brain _

Annabeth had fallen into the habit of wishing him a good day, and this morning was no exception. She lounged in her bed, drinking in the sunlight that poured through her windows. It had been almost two months since he first messaged her, and she found herself relaxing more, taking his advice to “enjoy the little things”, and that currently meant not rushing around her room to get ready for what was going to be a stressful day.

Today they were officially starting the campaign. 

Twitter accounts had been made, Annabeth had contacted local news agencies to get the word out, and all day was to be spent handing out fliers downtown to try and reach as many people as possible. 

Luke and Thalia had agreed to help, with Grover promising to try and make it, but even so Annabeth was overwhelmed with worry that it wouldn’t be enough. She had already begun polling online and across campus to see what the general consensus was and it seemed most people believed one of two things;

One, a temple for all Gods was more fair.

Two, Athena was a pretentious bitch.

No one used those exact words, but the subtext was there. New Athenians didn’t like anyone they saw as a “High-and-Mightier than Thou” sort, which was ironic considering it housed all the Gods, but it seemed that despite everything Athena had done for humanity, she was viewed as sort of a know-it-all. It would be an uphill battle to improve the public’s perception, but Annabeth was sure she could do it with careful planning.

_ 8:15AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ hey! morning wise girl!  
_ _ sleep ok? no nightmares?? _

_ 8:15AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ No nightmares. _

_ 8:16AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ good.  
_ _ u wont forget what i told u, right? _

He had made her promise to message him if she was ever kept up at night again, and while Annabeth protested, she was grateful for it. That first night she mentioned her horrible dreams, he texted her until she had fallen back asleep, and she had gotten the deepest sleep in years.

Flipping onto her back, Annabeth mused about their relationship as she typed. Seaweed Brain was getting bolder by the day and she… well, she was encouraging him, wasn’t she?

_ 8:17AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Of course not. _

_ 8:17AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ good. good.  
_ _ big day? _

_ 8:17AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ How’d you guess? _

_ 8:18AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ wasnt hard haha  
_ _ everyday seems like a big day when it comes to u _

_ 8:18AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Have some errands to run in the city  
_ _ Nothing exciting. _

_ 8:19AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ no kidding???  
_ _ me too!  
_ _ maybe we’ll run into each other lol _

_ 8:19AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Highly unlikely.  
_ _ The city is huge, afterall.   
_ _ No monster hunting this weekend? _

_ 8:19AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ uh yeah im taking a break  
_ _ someone told me it was stupid and i decided to listen to them   
_ _ doesnt stop the monsters from finding me tho _

_ 8:20AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ But they usually can’t get past the barrier? _

_ 8:20AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ i dont always stay inside the barrier, wise girl _

_ 8:20AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Ah. Okay.  
_ _ Promise you’ll be safe? _

_ 8:20AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ promise.  
_ _ cant die before i get a chance to meet my wise girl  
_ _ that would suuuuuck _

_ His  _ Wise Girl, he had called her. Annabeth’s head felt hot and fuzzy, like she’d taken a shot of whiskey. She liked it.

_ 8:21AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Indeed, that would suck.  
_ _ I have to go, talk to you tonight? _

_ 8:21AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ ttyl  
_ _ <3 _

And now he was sending hearts! Her own heart thumping like a giggling school girl’s, Annabeth flipped her phone off and hopped out of bed, shifting through her clothes until she found the grey blazer she wanted to wear. That would look official but not too dressed up, right? New Athenians were known for their stubborn population- what did one wear while convincing them that their long held beliefs were incorrect?

She wouldn’t know. But, giving herself a once over in the mirror, she did know she looked good. And sometimes, that was enough to get people to listen to you .

A bus ride later and she got off on the corner they decided to camp out on, a plaza stretching out between buildings and a popular throughway for foot traffic. Luke had already set up a folding table, draped with a nice grey cloth and boxes of fliers stacked behind it. Annabeth hoped that similar setups were already spread throughout the city, the teams she had assembled prepared with their talking points and fliers as well.

Luke and Thalia were chatting away, and Thalia had done her own version of dressing up, which simply meant she had left the leather jacket at home and wore a black long sleeve shirt instead of her usual graphic tank tops and tees.

“Yo, Annabeth!” Thalia waved as she approached.

Luke smiled and handed her a coffee, “You ready for a busy day?”

“Always.” Annabeth accepted the cup gratefully, sipping at the bitter beverage as she dodged Luke’s gaze. She had been avoiding him ever since the day at his office where he had gotten too close, but he acted as if everything were normal, maybe she should too. Even so, Annabeth wanted to set the record straight if he did have feelings for her- there was just no way she could see herself reciprocating.

Thalia seemed distracted, so she took a deep breath, “Look, Luke-”

“What’s going on over there?”

The both turned to look at where Thalia pointed. There, across the plaza, another table was being set up, sea green cloth and boxes of more fliers that looked suspiciously familiar. And, of course, there he was. 

Percy Jackson.

Again.

With a huff, Annabeth marched over, Luke and Thalia trailing behind her. 

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Huh?” A mop of black hair poked up from behind the table, Percy standing from his crouched position, “Oh, hey! It’s you! And Thalia- ‘sup Thalia?”

“‘Sup Percy.”

“And… who are you?” He squinted at Luke.

“Luke.”

“Nice. ‘Sup Luke?”

“‘Sup.”

“Stop… stop ‘supping’ each other!” Annabeth felt like pulling her hair out. “What. Are. You. Doing. Here.” she repeated.

Percy looked surprised, “Oh, uh, my dad asked me to help out with this temple thing… we’re passing out fliers and stuff. Right, Frank?”

The one who must have been Frank, a large Chinese boy setting down boxes, nearly jumped out of his skin at suddenly being the center of attention, “Oh, um… right?”

“No, no you can’t be here!” Annabeth nearly stamped her foot, pointing to their own set up, “ _ We _ are  _ trying  _ to- to do the same thing!”

Percy frowned, “...You’re campaigning for my dad?”

“ _ No. _ ” It required effort to stop herself from rolling her eyes, “We’re campaigning against him!”

“Oh.” Percy shrugged, “Well good luck I guess!”

“Don’t you ‘good luck’ me! You have to move!”

Percy didn’t seem to like being ordered around. His frown deepened, voice taking on an edge of annoyance. “Uh, I don’t? And we’re already set up so…”

“So un-set up!”

“Why, so you can steal a temple from my dad?”

“You- you’re the one stealing it!”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Hey uh… guys?” They all stopped and turned to look at the new voice. Grover stood there, two coffees in hand, eyes wide as he stared at his friends arguing with each other.

“Grover!” Annabeth heaved a sigh of relief, “You made it!”

“I… uh…” The poor satyr looked like he might pass out, eyes darting rapidly between Annabeth and Percy. “R… right.”

Annabeth’s smile faltered. “You… you aren’t here to help me, are you?”

“No! I mean, I was going to come help you, after…”

“After helping me?” Percy finished for him.

Grover nodded slowly.

Annabeth could only stare, “... Did you tell him to come here too?” Her jaw tightened. 

“N-no not at all!” Grover’s eyes got wider, if that was even possible, “He… he just asked me for help first, and then you asked too and honestly I was already surprised you both decided to do this on the same day but I didn’t think-”

“It would be in the same place.” Annabeth’s mouth was dry, “I can’t… I can’t believe you’re helping him!”

“Is it really such a big deal?” Percy cut in.

“Yes! Yes it is!” Annabeth snapped, glaring at the two of them. Her pride was hurt, if she was being honest with herself. She crossed her arms. “Grover, we are on different sides. You can’t help both of us.”

“But… I want to help both of you?” He handed off a cup to Percy, turning to face Annabeth, “Does it really matter so much, who gets the temple?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

“I…” she paused. She couldn’t just say it was so she could have the chance to build it- everyone would think her unbelievably childish and petty. “I- because! Because it rightfully belongs to Athena!”

Percy snorted, “Please, just because your mom has some fancy job and a city named after her doesn’t mean she gets first dibs!”

“It might,” Luke added helpfully. “I mean, there have been instances in the past-”   


“Look.” Percy interrupted him, leaning across the table to face Annabeth. His green eyes were hard at the moment, black fringe tickling his brows and usually laid back expression suddenly serious, “I get it. Your mom asked you for help, my dad asked me. We can’t exactly say no, right? But I’m not moving. So either you deal with it, or find another place to set up.”

That was that.

Frustrated, Annabeth spun on her heel, marching back to her table with Thalia and Luke hurrying after her. Grover stayed behind, and she felt another pang of jealousy and hurt rush through her. Her pride had been shattered, her friend was choosing someone else, and she wasn’t sure if she’d be okay with that.

“Don’t forget a flier!” Percy called, tossing a paper airplane that Thalia easily caught.

“Uh, guys?” She spread out the pamphlet as soon as they got back to the table. 

Other than a few changes in words, it was the exact same layout as the one Luke had designed for them.

“Who… who would do this?!” Annabeth groaned, running her hands through her curls, “Setting up in the same place, at the same time, with the same fliers… did Grover…?”

“Grover didn’t know what the fliers were going to look like, remember?” Luke tried to calm her, his voice soothing, a hand on her back. She flinched away, turning to Thalia.

“Thalia, you didn’t…?”

The other girl looked horrified, “Wh-what the hell?! You think  _ I  _ gave them the design?! Fuck no!’

“Sorry, sorry, I just… Luke?” She turned to him and he raised his hands in defense.

“Wasn’t me, you know how much I care about this cause.” His assurances did little to calm her down.

“I don’t know who else could have!” She could practically melt from frustration. “Okay… okay. It’s not over, we can still make something of this.”

And so the morning officially began. On Percy’s side, there was him, Grover, Frank, and a girl with dark skin and curly brown hair who arrived shortly after the altercation occurred. 

With Annabeth, there was Luke and Thalia. Grover tried to come over half way through, but Annabeth had sent him a glare so dark he scurried back to the other side as fast as his hooves could carry him. Sure, she felt a little bad, but he had betrayed her! Did all the years they’d known each other mean nothing?! No matter. They had a job to do.

Annabeth wasn’t really a people person. But she knew what drew them in, how a smile and a laugh could change minds, and so she worked the crowd, drawing in mortals and Demigods alike to their booth to learn about why Athena should be honored.

“No one has done more for the pantheon, other than Zeus, in the past millennia!” she pointed out to a couple who stopped by to learn more, “While other Gods cause earthquakes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters, Athena has helped us with every war we’ve come up against.  _ And _ …” she flipped the flier over, “With a temple to Athena, her power will increase by at least 5.67%, encouraging growth in the crafts, knowledge, and bring about a higher success rate in colleges across the nation!”

“But wouldn’t a temple to all the gods include her? We would get that stuff anyway.” The man pointed out, taking the pamphlet to study closer.

“Not necessarily,” Annabeth had practiced for this, “A temple to all the gods would mean much less power split between them, you’d only end up seeing less than a 0.047% increase in the things I mentioned, and give more power to gods that may not have your best interests in mind. Do you really want to risk giving more power to the goddess of revenge? How about the god of tsunamis? Sleep?”

The couple seemed thoughtful.

“Huh, I didn’t consider that.” The man said, folding the flier into his pocket, “Thank you young lady, I’ll keep all this in mind.”

“Thank you for listening!” she called after them, before collapsing into a chair behind the table. They’d been at this for hours, some people stopping by both tables and listening to what they had to say, some only stopping by one or the other, and most people ignoring them all together.

She could see Percy regaling a group with a story about something monster related across the plaza. Luke and Thalia were each talking to people as well. 

Annabeth needed a break.

After standing and letting Thalia know she’d be a minute, Annabeth headed towards the city park, just a few blocks away.

The green was giving way to autumn colors, the lake still, the air quiet except for couples walking together and a few families picnicking. The daughter of Athena took a deep breath in, enjoying the peace and quiet, a sanctuary in the center of a bustling city. There was a lake, much larger than her favorite duck pond but no less beautiful. She sank to the grass beside it, watching the water, wondering if any naiads lived here. 

“Hey.”

She turned, “Oh. It’s  _ you. _ ”

Percy sank to the grass beside her, chuckling, “Yeah, yeah, it’s me.”

Annabeth huffed the bangs from her eyes, annoyance surging through her bloodstream. “Don’t you have some voters to steal, Perseus? Or is that just fliers?”

He winced. “It’s Percy,” he corrected, “and I didn’t realize our designs were the same, someone just sent it to me and well… I liked it.” Percy shrugged.

“Sent it to you?” A grimace graced her features and she stared at the lake. So someone was for sure leaking their information. Great.

“Some anonymous email, it was just a jumble of letters and numbers.” He sounded legitimately clueless and she couldn’t help but take his word for it.

They sat in uncomfortable silence.

“Why are you here?” She finally said.

“I just wanted to check if you’re okay.”

What?

“What?” she said out loud, genuine surprise evident on her face, “I’m… I’m fine-”

“Are you sure?” His eyes met hers, intense green to grey, and her gaze fell to her lap. Silence hung between them for a moment.

“I’m sure.”

“Huh.” He leaned back on his arms, “Because I’m under the same pressure you are, and I know for a fact I’m not okay.”

Annabeth continued to stare down at her hands.

Finally, she said, “It’s not the same.”

“Sorry?”

“It’s… It’s not the same pressure.” Annabeth continued, “How could you possibly understand what I’m going through? I don’t even-”

“Know you?” Percy finished, looking thoughtful, “I know you’re a daughter of Athena, right hand to Zeus, which means you have a lot to live up to. I know you’re the one she went to about this whole…” he gestured vaguely, “temple thing, so she has high expectations. I know you have a lot on your plate, and,” he cracked a grin, “I know you hate me for some reason, though I can’t figure out why.”

“I don’t hate you,” she blurted on instinct, but Percy only laughed.

“Sure you do, but that’s okay.” he threw his head back, watching the clouds go by, and Annabeth snuck a peak at him. Sure, his face made her blood boil, but… he  _ did _ come to check on her.

“You’re more intuitive than I would have thought.” Annabeth commented.

“Is… that a good thing?”

“I haven’t decided yet.” She faced the lake again, watching ripples appear here and there, “I’m still not really sure why you followed me if you know I don’t like you, and know I’m working against you and your father.”

“Hey, what our parents want? That’s not on us.” He shrugged, “And I figure, maybe you do have a good reason to dislike me, but that doesn’t mean your mind can’t be changed.”

She couldn’t think of a response to that. Her reasons for disliking him were petty, in fact, shallow, and she’d be embarrassed to state them out loud.

A few minutes passed.

“Thank you.” Annabeth finally said, not looking at him, “For… checking on me. I’m really okay.”

“Great!”

“This doesn’t change anything though,” she added.

“‘Course not.”

“You’re still an idiot.”

“Sure am.” She couldn’t see him, but she could hear the grin in his voice.

Maybe he wasn’t all bad. Maybe she could forgive Grover for helping him- the guy had a presence that just drew you in, and even she was having trouble resisting.

“So… why  _ do  _ you hate me?”

She opened her mouth to respond.

“Annabeth!” They both looked up to see Luke. Annabeth scrambled to her feet and brushed grass off her black pants.

“Ah, hey-”

“Is he bothering you?” Luke wasn’t looking at her, instead glaring at Percy who got up lazily.

“No, he isn’t.”

“Yeah, we were just talking.” Percy stretched, seeming unbothered by Luke’s aggression though his own eyes flashed with… something.

“Find someone else to talk to then,” Luke snapped, taking Annabeth’s hand, though she pulled away just as quick, staring at him.

“Luke, what… what’s gotten into you?”

“He’s the enemy right now, Annabeth.” His voice dropped low, “We don’t know how he knew about the location, the fliers, any of it. We can’t trust him-”

“I don’t!” Annabeth insisted a little too loudly. “Obviously I don’t- I can look after myself Luke.” She glanced back at Percy, who was doing a bad job of acting like he wasn’t listening in. “Really, let’s just… let’s just go back.”

They left, Percy hanging back to allow them space. Annabeth fought the urge to turn around, to wave, to say goodbye. Maybe Percy Jackson wasn’t all bad, but Luke was right- he was the enemy. And until Athena had her temple, Annabeth couldn’t be seen fraternizing with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See Annabeth? Percy isn't so bad! Who could be double crossing their campaign though...
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for helping edit this fanfiction of mine! Go check them out!


	9. Bars and Booze

“To the Gods!” Percy’s little group cheered as they clinked drinks together. The Dancing Drake was bursting at the seams, filled with satyrs, nymphs, demigods and mortals on a Saturday night. The launch of their campaign had been a big success, if he did say so himself, despite the run-in with Annabeth and her friends. He was ready for a night of relaxing and just having a good time.

He chugged his drink then slammed it on the counter, perhaps a little too hard (though the bottle didn’t break, thank the gods!).

Percy wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, “Who’s up for karaoke?”

“Oh no, Percy, you make me sing every time!” Hazel groaned, hands combing through her curly hair nervously.

“Yeah, cuz you’re good at it.” he pointed out, “Right, Frank?”

“Uh… huh?” Frank was jogged from his own thoughts, tearing his gaze from Hazel with a confused look.

“Doesn’t Hazel have a nice voice?”

Frank began to resemble the shade of a tomato, “Oh, uh, yeah, I mean, I-I like to um. Listen. To her voice, I mean.”

Percy grinned. His friends happened to be Roman transfer students- Frank, son of Mars, was a year younger than him, and Hazel, daughter of Pluto, was a freshman, but despite the age difference they all got along well. That, and Percy had never seen a bigger, more obvious crush than the one Frank had on Hazel. 

And boy did he like to bring it up.

Grover was nursing his own drink, looking morose, “They hate me… my best friends hate me.”

Percy struggled not to point out that he was hanging with his best friends right now, but he knew who he meant- the trio from earlier, the ones Grover had known the longest, longer than Percy even. He felt a pang of jealousy, but tried his best to cheer Grover up anyway.

“Hey, buddy, no they don’t!” he tried, ordering another drink for himself as he did. “They’re just a little upset, but I’m sure they’ll get over it!”

The satyr shook his head, “You don’t know Annabeth man… she’s gonna kill me.” he moaned.

“Look, forget Annabeth, just for tonight. We have drinks, we have friends, we have- Juniper! Hey Juniper!” Percy waved the Nymph over as she entered the bustling pub, “Juniper, can you assure your boyfriend that his friends don’t hate him, please?”

“Your friends don’t hate you!” she repeated, her green skin standing out in the low lighting of the bar, sidling up to Grover, “They’re just… well, mad?”

“Not super helpful when you say it like a question, June, but good try.” Percy leaned back against the counter, watching the crowd.

The day had been a long one. He hadn’t meant to end up in the same place at the same time as Annabeth and her crew. In fact, he hadn’t even realized she would be his opponent until that morning. 

On top of that, there were the emails. Totally anonymous, they had been giving him suggestions, flier designs, dates and times to meet. At first he figured it was someone from his father’s team helping him out, but now? It was clear someone on the other side was assisting their cause, and while he should have felt grateful, guilt seeped into the corners of his mind.

He couldn’t keep his thoughts off the conversation from earlier. Annabeth popped into his head, curls floating in the breeze, grey blazer complimenting her eyes, and an expression on her face he was more than familiar with.

She was lonely.

And boy did he understand loneliness.

Even now, surrounded by people, he could feel it, an ache deep in his body. He was the son of Poseidon. And despite his friendships with other children of the big three, it often felt like no one would ever see him as anything more or anything less than that.

No one except…

The phone in his pocket buzzed, and Percy gleefully pulled it out to read the text, despite Hazel’s protests-

“Oh Percy please don’t! Not your phone-!” She was old-fashioned when it came to technology; demigods like her often rejected the use of phones all together for the sake of safety.

“It’s fine, Haze, if a monster happens to get into the city and just _happens_ to find us, I’ll take care of it.” he chuckled, eagerly taking in the message;

_6:34PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Tell me something nice._

He couldn’t hide his grin, despite his confusion at her command.

_6:34PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _bad day wise girl?_

_6:34PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Yes.  
_ _I don’t want to talk about it.  
_ _So tell me. Something. Nice._

Percy was a little taken aback. She must really be pissed off.

_6:35PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _hmmmmm  
_ _no one has prettier texts than u?_

_6:35PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Is that all you can come up with?_

_6:35PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _give me a break u caught me by surprise! im thinking!_

“Percy?” Grover was waving a hand in front of his face and he looked up from his phone, “Who are you talking to?”

“No one.” He shrugged, “Just… some girl.”

Hazel’s eyes widened, “You’re back to dating again?”

“What do you mean ‘again’?” Percy’s defenses flared up.

“Well, no offense man, but you were kind of a revolving door of girls.” Frank piped up, shrugging his large shoulders, “But these past few weeks well… when you stopped, we thought you were sick or something.”

“Come on, it’s not like I was some sort of womanizer! Grover, back me up buddy!” Percy turned to his formerly gloomy friend for support.

Grover only shrugged, “I mean…”

The son of Poseidon rolled his eyes, “Whatever, it's just one girl.” He crossed his arms.

“But does that mean you’re actually sticking with someone this time?” Grover mused, Juniper hugging his arm.

Percy felt his face grow hot. He didn’t fluster easily, but with his friends calling out his dating habits in front of him, he suddenly felt embarrassed. He hadn’t considered himself a playboy, but maybe that’s how the world had seen Percy Jackson. 

“So who is she?” Hazel leaned across the bar with an excited smile. Percy felt the need to keep Wise Girl a secret from most people, but he couldn’t hide her from his friends. 

“I don’t know.” he admitted, flipping his phone in his hands, “I accidentally texted her one day and we sort of… hit it off.”

“Wait, you don’t even know what she looks like?” Frank sounded amazed.

Percy shook his head.

“Or her _name?!_ ” Hazel chimed in, looking equal parts horrified and impressed.

Another shrug.

Grover was next. “Well what do you call her then?”

“Wise Girl.” He answered without thinking. The stares of his friends made him feel like this was an interrogation. “It’s… it’s an inside joke.”

“Still, this girl must be pretty special if you’ve given up on the ones you can actually see.” Grover looked thoughtful.

“Uh, I told you guys, I stopped dating because of that Empousai thing,” Percy insisted.

“Yeah, right. Which was, what, three weeks after you ended things with Rachel?” Frank seemed to count on his fingers, brow furrowing as the timeline began to take shape, “When did you say you texted this girl?”

“Oh come on!” Percy protested, glancing around, “We’re just friends!”

“Right. What are you texting about now?” Juniper teased, raising an eyebrows as Percy hid his phone screen.

“It’s not… it’s private.”

“Private?” Hazel repeated, sharing a glance with Frank. 

“Yes, private. And I should probably uh… answer her, actually.”

Percy turned away from his friends, who were now gabbing about who his mystery girl could be, and brought his phone back up to his face. He knew exactly what “nice thing” he wanted to tell Wise Girl now.

_6:42PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _no one ive met has been half as interesting as u are  
_ _i seriously cant stop thinking about u, wise girl  
_ _when we arent texting, im wishing we were  
_ _and when we are texting, im…  
_ _im pretty desperate to find the right words to make u smile  
_ _even if i cant see it, i want to know that ur happy_

There was a few minutes of radio silence and Percy was suddenly afraid. Girls had never intimidated him, at least not since Poseidon had claimed him as his son, but for some reason he feared he said too much- came on too strong. Would she ghost him now? Find him creepy for saying such things? Laugh at him?

Gods, he wanted to hear her laugh, even if it was at his own expense. He’d say a million stupid things a day if she were the one laughing at him.

The sights and sounds of the bar faded into the background as his phone began to buzz.

_6:46PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Oh wow  
_ _Well I’m certainly smiling now.  
_ _I wish I could show you._

_6:46PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _i wish i could see it  
_ _where are u?_

_6:47PM WISE GIRL  
_ _At home._

_6:47PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _u should go out sometimes  
_ _u deserve some fun, it sounds like u have a lot on ur plate_

_6:47PM WISE GIRL  
_ _I don’t have the time.  
_ _But maybe I’d find the time if I was going out with you._

Percy bit back a grin, glancing up to make sure his friends were distracted. It seemed that the topic of his mystery girl had been dropped for now, Juniper opting instead to try and convince Frank and Hazel to go on a double date. The pair were a blushing mess, stammering how they weren’t together, really, it wasn’t like that-

“I think you guys should do it,” Percy cut in with a smirk. Hazel fanned her face and Frank looked anywhere but at her. “Sounds like a lot of fun!”

“Then it’s settled!” Juniper squealed, knocking back a shot. “Let’s dance!”

Percy watched as Grover was pulled to the dance floor by Juniper, laughing. The poor guy had two left hooves. He watched as Hazel and Frank muttered something about needing water and took off together. And Percy stayed put, turning down a girl here and there when they asked to get him a drink or if he wanted to dance. 

Only one girl had his attention tonight.

_6:54PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _is that an invitation to ask u out?_

_6:54PM WISE GIRL  
_ _I’m certainly not trying to dissuade you from the idea._

_6:54PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _u like to tease guys, don’t u_

_6:55PM WISE GIRL  
_ _I like to tease you.  
_ _Should I stop?_

_6:55PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _gods no  
_ _never stop_

_6:55PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Just for you, I’ll continue  
_ _What about you? How was your day in the city?_

He thought about it. The campaigning, meeting new people, getting Annabeth to maybe hate him less… 

_6:56PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _not bad haha  
_ _i think i got a girl to like me_

_6:56PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Oh?_

_6:56PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _no not like that kind of like!_

_6:56PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Oh!_

_6:56PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ha, did i make u jealous?_

_6:57PM WISE GIRL  
_ _In your dreams_

_6:57PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _id like u in all of my dreams please_

_6:57PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Flirt._

_6:58PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _;D  
_ _come over_

_6:58PM WISE GIRL  
_ _You know I won’t_

_6:58PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _worth a shot  
_ _ur loss  
_ _we could be tearing it up at drake’s rn_

_6:59PM WISE GIRL  
_ _You’re at the Dancing Drake?_

_6:59PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _u know it?_

_6:59PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Of course I know it.  
_ _That’s so close_

_6:59PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _well damn dont tell me that!  
_ _i might start wandering the streets looking for u if i know ur nearby  
_ _u live in the dorms then?_

_7:00PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Don’t you?_

_7:00PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _nah, my family has an apartment in the city._

*****

Annabeth felt the familiar ache of jealousy. Her own family, father, step-mother, and half brothers lived across the country. They rarely called, never visited, and while her relationship with them was better now, well… it would take more than a few “I love yous” to heal what had been broken.

Being a young Demigod was tough, even in a world that worshipped them.

And it wasn’t like her mother was going to be living in an apartment downtown with Annabeth.

_ 7:02PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ That must be nice. _

_ 7:02PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ i love it haha  
_ _ every year for the solstice we make these delicious blue cupcakes  
_ _ ill bake u one _

_ 7:02PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I’ll hold you to that.  
_ _ It’s coming up fast. _

_ 7:02PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ we still have a few months   
_ _ come on wise girl u changed the subject  
_ _ come hang out with me _

It was tempting. Annabeth couldn’t lie. But despite how much she wanted to head over to the Dancing Drake and meet him face to face, she couldn’t lose what they had now. What if they met and started dating and, like the others, her focus was too much for him? It was easy, this way, with him not knowing her, not really.

_ 7:03PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I have to decline. _

_ 7:03PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ but  
_ _ dancing  
_ _ together  
_ _ could u imagine? _

She could. The idea of pressing against him, the faceless stranger that lived in her phone, swaying back and forth slowly as their foreheads touched… it sent tingles down her spine.

_ 7:03PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ You’re making it very difficult to refuse _

_ 7:04PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ good.  
_ _ because i want to dance with u _

_ 7:04PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Maybe someday _

_ 7:05PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ soon? _

_ 7:05PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Soon. _

She gazed around her room. Folders and papers were scattered across the desk, her laptop opened to emails concerning press conferences and event dates. Her homework had long since been finished (even Marine Monsters) and she was ready to relax. But her phone was nagging her, burning up in her hand. She didn’t want to stop talking to him, even though she knew she should hold back.

The few times she had dated hadn’t gone well. 

Annabeth was ambitious. She was driven. She knew what she wanted and she wasn’t willing to let anything stand in her way.

Sometimes the things in her way had been boys. And those boys had been very offended when she inevitably chose her future over them, every time.

So what would happen if she met Seaweed Brain, and he was like all the others?

_ 7:08PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ ur really gonna make me work for this, huh? _

_ 7:08PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Would it be as fun if I didn’t? _

_ 7:08PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ fair point  
_ _ u seem worth it, at least. _

There went her heart again.

_ 7:09PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Shouldn’t you be dancing or drinking or something? _

_ 7:09PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ im doing at least one of those things _

_ 7:09PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Ah.  
_ _ That explains your boldness tonight _

_ 7:10PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ maybe im just a bold guy in general _

_ 7:10PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I can believe that. _

She wondered if he was with friends, if he was ignoring them in order to talk to her- who goes to a bar just to be on their phone anyway?

Annabeth supposed she might do the same, if their places were swapped. It was hard to resist talking to him. And the longer this went on, the more she was drawn in by his words, even if they were misspelled nonsense half the time.

Annabeth was in deep trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stop sending mixed signals Annabeth!
> 
> Thank you all so much for the comments, kudos, and love so far! Right now I have an update schedule of every Saturday/Sunday (and over 25 chapters written!) so look forward to consistent updates!  
> As always, feel free to leave a comment if you liked the chapter.
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for helping edit this fanfiction of mine! Go check them out!


	10. Cyclops and Cynics

She had been studying in the library with Seaweed Brain’s help when they had gotten off topic. When it happened.

 _4:47PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _so obviously atlantis is where poseidon lives_

 _4:47PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Obviously._

 _4:47PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _have u ever thought about visiting?_

 _4:47PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Me? In Atlantis?  
_ _Unlikely._

 _4:48PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _how come?_

 _4:48PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Well..._

Annabeth considered the best way to answer. Admitting a grudge against a god, especially one as powerful as Poseidon, would not be wise.

 _4:48PM WISE GIRL  
_ _For starters, I can’t exactly breathe underwater!_

 _4:48PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ok lets say you can  
_ _there are ways for people to visit  
_ _would u want to see it?_

She couldn’t really say that she wouldn’t be welcome as Athena’s daughter.

 _4:48PM WISE GIRL  
_ _I don’t know…  
_ _It can’t be that amazing._

 _4:49PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _r u kidding?!  
_ _a castle made of reefs, abalone ceilings, the cyclops forges!_

Annabeth had no idea she would regret her next text so deeply.

 _2:23PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Gods I hate Cyclops_

They were going over different sea monsters together, reviewing for an upcoming exam, when Atlantis came up. Cyclops weren’t necessarily aquatic, but they were known for those undersea forges as well as their father, Poseidon.

 _2:23PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _uh  
_ _they arent that bad_

 _2:23PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Of course they are.  
_ _They’re the worst sort of monster._

It had been on their trek to Camp Half-Blood that she had first encountered them, and to this day she couldn’t get the creatures out of her head. They occupied most of her nightmares, and everything about them sent shivers down her spine, from their one eye to their ability to mimic voices. Thalia even almost died fighting them.

 _2:24PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _i wouldnt say that…  
_ _theres good and bad ones  
_ _like people_

 _2:24PM WISE GIRL  
_ _They’re nothing like people!  
_ _How can you even say that???_

 _2:24PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _maybe u dont know everything, wise girl_

Annabeth blinked at her phone, brow furrowed. What kind of person trusted monsters? And with his experience fighting them… it just didn’t make sense.

 _2:24PM WISE GIRL  
_ _The only good Cyclops is a dead one._

Maybe she shouldn’t have said that.

 _2:25PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _you know what?  
_ _study on your own._

His “yous” were spelled right. That couldn’t be a good sign. 

_2:25PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Are you seriously upset over this??_

 _2:25PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _yes, i seriously am  
_ _i thought you were a lot of things, but i never thought you could be a bigot  
_ _guess i was wrong_

She gaped at her phone.

 _2:26PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Bigot???  
_ _They KILL people!_

 _2:26PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _and we kill them  
_ _indiscriminately, whether they deserve it or not  
_ _did you know a cyclops child was murdered last month?  
_ _or do you not care?_

 _2:27PM WISE GIRL  
_ _That’s different!  
_ _I mean it would have grown up to kill more_

 _2:28PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _thats fucked up_

 _2:28PM WISE GIRL  
_ _You know what I mean!_

 _2:28PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _do i?  
_ _whatever.  
_ _im done._

Annabeth slammed her book shut with a noise of frustration, earning a “shush” from the librarian.

"Oh, get over it!" She snapped, triggering another glare but Annabeth ignored it.

She knew there were people who believed certain monsters could be reformed, live normal lives without the urge to kill, but she didn’t think Seaweed Brain would be one of them! He went out and _hunted_ monsters regularly for Gods’ sake!

Annabeth’s blood was running hot, flushing her face as she flung her phone away from her. He didn’t know her experiences. He couldn’t understand why she felt the way she did, so why did it matter so much what he thought of her?

It was over. And she didn’t care. She couldn’t afford to care. Caring meant feeling the sadness and loss, carrying it with her, and she refused to allow that.

And yet…

Annabeth snatched her phone back up, typing furiously.

 _2:31PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Are you really going to stop talking to me over this?  
_ _Hello?_

She gnawed on her lip, wanting him to understand- to _make_ him understand where she was coming from. She didn’t want him to think less of her, but she was the one in the right!

Wasn’t she?

Annabeth scrolled through their conversation, body tight as her own words stared back at her. Maybe she came across as harsh, or even mean. Maybe she should have tried harder to explain. Could he really blame her for being unreasonable if he knew just what they'd done to her?

 _2:32PM WISE GIRL  
_ _Look, you don’t know me. You don’t know what I’ve been through.  
_ _What they’ve put me through._

 _3:34PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _youre right.  
_ _i dont know you.  
_ _not really._

He didn’t reply again, despite her sending more messages trying to explain. Why did he have to defend _Cyclops_ , of all creatures?! Frustrated, she slumped over the table. Something told her trying to study on her own would be pointless.

The next week was miserable.

She missed his good morning texts. She missed his flirtations, the little things he did to purposefully get under her skin and press her buttons in the best way- his jokes about tutoring her, his teases and light jabs at her "know-it-all" personality. She regretted ever bringing up the one-eyed monsters, but refused to admit she had been in the wrong.

The nightmares were worse. Her sleep was restless, and her head in a daze as she moved from day to day. 

Then she got a C on her Marine Monster’s quiz.

Annabeth stared at the paper in shock. She knew it would be difficult, with the curse and without her magic study buddy, but this was…

It was the worst grade she had ever gotten.

Dejected, she sat by the duck pond, going over the concepts in her book again and again, none of it sticking. Her mind was hazy, the information floating out of reach, and she wondered, not for the first time, what exactly it was about her text-friend that had helped her understand when he explained it.

Stupid curse. Stupid Cyclops. Stupid Seaweed Brain.

Annabeth slammed her book shut with all the force she could muster, tossing it to the side and hugging her knees to her chest. She wanted to text him, but that would be admitting he was right… right?

“You alright?”

The voice startled her from her thoughts.

Percy Jackson was once more before her, blue hoodie pulled up over his dark hair as he stood between her and her duck pond. Because of course he'd be the one to find her like this. Again.

Annabeth didn’t have the energy to scowl at him. “I’m fine.”

The déjà vu was intense. 

It was clear Percy didn't believe Annabeth’s words, dumping his backpack as he sat down next to her, legs crossed. “I may not be a genius, but I can tell when something’s wrong. What’s up?”

“Why would I tell you?” The anger came easily now, the stress that had built up over the past week spilling over. “You don’t know me, our parents hate each other, and we're working on opposite campaigns- why would you even care if I’m not fine? Isn’t it better for you if I’m not?”

He ducked his head, running a hand through his hair and pushing his hood down, a frown now evident on his face. “Uh, not really? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I definitely want to kick your ass at this whole temple thing but…” His green eyes met hers. “I’d rather do it fair and square, you know? Which means you need to be in uh-” his eyes flickered down for a moment, “good shape.”

Annabeth blinked, “... Did you seriously just check me out?”

“Not on purpose, no!” He laughed, a good natured sound, and despite rolling her eyes Annabeth fought a smile. This guy really was surprising her at every turn. Her dislike of him felt more and more unwarranted by the day.

“So I should reveal my weaknesses to you because you _definitely_ won’t use it against me, is that right?”

“That’s the gist, yeah.”

“And I should trust you because…?” 

“Because I want our battle to be fair, yup.” He grinned.

“It’s hardly a battle!” Annabeth leaned against the tree at her back, watching the sky change hues, “Besides, I’m going to beat you anyway, so stop worrying about it.”

“Fair enough. But then you shouldn’t worry about telling me what’s wrong, if you have such an upper hand.”

It surprised her, how easily their banter came. She expected talking with Percy Jackson to be far more clipped and tense, yet here they were, going back and forth like old friends. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “How can you tell? That I’m not fine?”

Percy shrugged. “Intuition?”

Annabeth scoffed at the reminder of what she had told him barely a couple weeks ago.

“Hey, if it helps, you can hit me- I’ve been told I have a very punchable face,” he joked, obviously trying to get her to crack a smile. It worked.

Her laugh cut through the remaining tension, legs relaxing to stretch out in front of her. “I’m sure that will actually solve most of my problems, thanks.” 

He leaned over, pointing to the face in question with a twinkle in his eye. “Come on, one hit, and you’ll feel better, guaranteed.”

“I’m not going to punch you!” Annabeth protested, shoving him away with another laugh, before catching herself. She composed her expression to one of cool indifference “But.. thank you, for trying to cheer me up.” _Again._

“Hey, it’s no big deal.” 

But it was a big deal. No one knew about her text-friend, so no one knew about their fight. Thalia guessed something was up but Annabeth wouldn’t tell her what. Luke was busy on some project at work, and Grover- well, she hadn’t spoken to Grover since that day in the plaza. Which was her own fault. She had ignored his attempts to reach out, and the guilt was eating her alive.

“It is a big deal.” she insisted, softly.

He didn’t press the issue, and she was grateful. A few moments passed, and she spoke again.

“I got into a fight.”

“With Grover…?” He guessed and she shook her head.

“No, no, with… a different friend.” Annabeth sighed.

Percy nodded, looking thoughtful. “I have experience with fights… what was it about?”

“Something stupid,” she mumbled.

“Maybe it wasn’t stupid to them,” he offered, brow furrowing in thought. “Maybe what seemed small or dumb to you was actually really important to them.”

“You think so…?” She glanced at him again, trying to discern what exactly was going on in that brain.

It wasn’t hard to see why Percy Jackson was popular with the girls and the guys. He was kind, and the well defined jaw didn’t hurt either. He had the cheekbones of a male model, thick brows, and defined lips- oh and his eyes! Sea green and bright with laughter, the eyes of someone who smiled a lot, still pretty despite the minor shadows that had appeared underneath since last they’d spoken.

He was definitely handsome.

“Who’s checking out who, Chase?” he teased, and she was snapped out of it, heat creeping into her cheeks.

“I was not- _am_ not checking you out!” she huffed, tossing her head to stare straight ahead once more, “Just… I didn’t think you’d be so-”

“Smart? Handsome? Wise? Genius?”

“Thoughtful,” she finished.

“Ah. That too.” He stood, offering her a hand, though she didn’t take it, instead standing on her own. He didn’t seem bothered, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“So this friend… Do you think they’d accept an apology?”

“I’m not the one who should be apologizing!” she protested, gathering up her things.

“Maybe not,” Percy conceded, tugging out his phone and playing with the device in his hands, “but sometimes…. sometimes it’s best to swallow your pride and just do it, for the sake of friendship and... stuff.”

Friendship and stuff. Poetic. And yet...

Annabeth huffed. She didn’t want him to be right, but… he was.

“So I should apologize even if I wasn’t in the wrong?”

He stared off into the distance, something seeming to dawn on him. “I mean… who’s to say you weren’t?”

“What?” She blinked. No one ever implied she was wrong.

“From their point of view, I mean. You never know how what you said might have hurt them.”

She stared at him.

“Are you always like this?”

He tilted his head to the side, resembling a confused puppy. “Like what?”

“Always trying to solve problems, even for people you don’t know.” Annabeth tucked her books under her arm, facing him head on. She was dismayed to find he was at least a head taller than her.

Percy shrugged, a coy smile coming to his face. “I guess I am… though you especially seemed like you needed it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” she frowned.

“You had that look on your face.”

“What look?”

He laughed, “You know.”

“I don’t.” 

“Forget it.” He shook his head, turning and pulling his hood back up. “See you around, Annabeth. And hey,” he smiled back at her, “thanks.”

Annabeth blinked, “Shouldn't I be the one thanking you?”

“You helped me figure out some stuff of my own.” He gave a small wave, trudging back toward the school. “Like I said, see ya.”

She was left standing in the grass, watching his retreating figure disappear among the gardens. She wasn’t sure what to think about their conversation, or what to think of _him_. Percy Jackson continued to surprise her.

So… now what?

If she thought about it from Seaweed Brain’s point of view, she could kind of, maybe see how her attitude towards Cyclops might be offensive. Lots of people these days were fighting to reform their image, and it wasn’t completely unbelievable he’d be one of them- he seemed to have a big heart, and that was part of what she liked about him after all. Could she really hold it against him?

And what of her own views? Was she as prejudiced as he said?

Annabeth had to admit, she had never met a Cyclops that didn’t want to kill her, but that didn’t mean nice ones didn’t exist. Many of the Gods employed them.

She pulled out her phone and turned it on for the first time in a several days, long having given up on hearing from him. Just as before, there were no new messages. The blonde fiddled with it in her hands, debating what to do.

Her pride was nearly impossible to set aside. She knew it was her greatest flaw, as much as she wanted to pretend it to be her strength.

Finally, she swiped the device open, searching for his contact and typing those words that she somehow now had the power to say.

 _2:22PM WISE GIRL  
_ _I’m sorry._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annabeth has a bit of a harsh side, I'm glad she was able to overcome her pride though! But will Seaweed Brain accept her apology?
> 
> Look at that beautiful art by [Windbyfire](https://www.instagram.com/windbyfire/?hl=en)! I'm absolutely in love with it!
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for helping edit this fanfiction of mine! Go check them out!


	11. Apology and Antagony

_ 2:22PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I’m sorry. _

Annabeth sucked on her bottom lip. She didn’t expect a response, not right away at least, so she continued;

_ 2:22PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I was wrong.  
_ _ I… I let my own personal experiences get in the way of understanding you  
_ _ And I KNOW I ended up hurting you  
_ _ Which was the last thing I wanted to do.  
_ _ You don’t have to respond, just…  
_ _ I’m sorry. _

Her throat was tight. Annabeth hadn’t fully realized how hard this past week had been, how close they’d become, how normal his presence in her life now was. She didn’t want to go back to before, going through the motions, only having school and what came after to look forward to. She pressed the palm of her hand to her eyes, willing them not to well up. 

The buzz of her phone startled her.

_ 2:25PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ hey _

Her heart stopped.

_ 2:25PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Hi  _

_ 2:25PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ i was about to text u  
_ _ im sorry too.  
_ _ i mean, im not sorry for sticking up for cyclops but  
_ _ i know a lot of people have bad experiences with them  
_ _ and i should have explained my point of view better instead of shutting down  
_ _ and i shouldnt have ignored u, wise girl _

The relief flooded through her as the dam broke. She sniffed, wiping her eyes and typing quickly;

_ 2:26PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ No, no you were right  
_ _ I was acting like a jerk  
_ _ I shouldn’t have said the things I did _

_ 2:26PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ u dont strike me as someone who admits fault a lot _

_ 2:26PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I don’t.  
_ _ You better not tell anyone. _

_ 2:27PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ my lips are sealed lol  
_ _ so are we cool? _

_ 2:27PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I should be asking you that  
_ _ Yes, we’re cool. _

_ 2:27PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ thank gods haha  
_ _ u wouldnt believe the week i had  _

_ 2:28PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Ugh same  
_ _ It was the worst. _

_ 2:28PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ miss me?   
_ _ ;D _

Annabeth debated joking with him, maybe teasing that she barely noticed his absence, but after a moment’s hesitation she found herself typing her honest feelings instead.

_ 2:29PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Yes, actually.  
_ _ Very much so, Seaweed Brain. _

_ 2:29PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ oh wow  
_ _ i missed you too, wise girl _

_ ***** _

_ 2:32AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Hey. _

_ 2:40AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ nightmares again? _

_ 2:40AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Uh huh. _

_ 2:41AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ well shit  
_ _ what about this time? _

_ 2:42AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Sirens  
_ _ I’m drowning.  
_ _ They promise me the future I want, and then they…  
_ _ You know.  
_ _ I can’t breath, I can’t swim  
_ _ It’s frightening _

_ 2:43AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ thats a rough one, wise girl  
_ _ they won’t get u as long as I’m there   
_ _ thats a promise  
_ _ no drowning on my watch _

_ 2:43AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Are you that good of a swimmer? _

_ 2:43AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ something like that _

_ 2:44AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ You’d have to get past the sirens too. _

_ 2:44AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ i can do what that one guy did  
_ _ with the wax? _

_ 2:44AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Odysseus? _

_ 2:45AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ yeah him!  
_ _ so dont worry  
_ _ if those sirens bother u again, ill be there to help _

_ 2:47AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ That means a lot to me.  
_ _ I mean it was just a dream but…  
_ _ Thank you. _

_ 2:48AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ of course _

_ ***** _

_ 12:12PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ achilles was invincible right?  
_ _ except for the heel thing? _

_ 12:15PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Are you asking about his invulnerability?  
_ _ He was dipped into the Styx by his mother, yes  
_ _ The heel was his weakness, like you said. _

_ 12:15PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ think i could do that? _

_ 12:16PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Dip yourself into the Styx?!  
_ _ I’d be concerned if you did  
_ _ One weakness that could kill you with the slightest hit?  
_ _ I would never stop worrying _

_ 12:18PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ awwww   
_ _ just for u i wont do it _

_ 12:18PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ As if you could even get into the Underworld! _

_ 12:18PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ i have my ways, wise girl _

_ 12:19PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Dying doesn’t count. _

_ 12:19PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ i mean other than that! _

_ 12:20PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ You can’t be serious  
_ _ Only a few heroes have made it to the Underworld and back! _

_ 12:20PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ maybe im one of them _

_ 12:21PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ There’s no way. _

_ 12:21PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ like i said  
_ _ i have my ways _

_ ***** _

_ 9:52PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ what are u doing tonight! _

_ 9:56PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Studying. _

_ 9:56PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ really???  
_ _ on a perfectly good tuesday night???  
_ _ boring _

_ 9:57PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ it's a weeknight!  
_ _ What else would I be doing?! _

_ 9:58PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ bar hopping with me? :D _

_ 9:59PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I’ll stick with boring. _

_ 10:00PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ awww come on wise girl  
_ _ it could be fun! _

_ 10:00PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Nope. _

_ 10:00PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ so boring  
_ _ the most boring ;p _

_ 10:01PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ That’s me. _

_ 10:01PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ how about tomorrow? _

_ 10:02PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ You’re being ridiculous. _

_ 10:02PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ maybe  
_ _ but one of these days youll say yes! _

_ ***** _

_ 9:08AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ morning wise girl! _

_ 9:10AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Good morning. _

_ 9:10AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ i had a dream last night _

_ 9:10AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ A nightmare? _

_ 9:11AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ nah  
_ _ it was about u _

_ 9:12AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ About me??? _

_ 9:12AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ yeah haha  
_ _ is that weird? _

_ 9:13AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ What happened in it? _

_ 9:13AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ we were just sitting and talking  
_ _ it was nice  
_ _ u finally called me wise boy ;) _

_ 9:14AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I’m sure I did. _

_ 9:14AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ ok i made that part up _

_ 9:15AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ What did I look like  _

_ 9:15AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ thats the thing!  
_ _ i dont remember haha  
_ _ so i guess that means u gotta show up in my dreams again so i can get a good look _

_ 9:16AM WISE GIRL   
_ _ Maybe you should pay better attention next time _

_ 9:16AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ so u will show up again? _

_ 9:17AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Pfft  
_ _ You KNOW I have no control over that! _

_ 9:17AM SEAWEED BRAIN   
_ _ sure u do.  
_ _ u know exactly what ur doing when u invade my thoughts _

_ 9:17AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ You’re impossible _

_ 9:17AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ u dont deny it :D _

_ 9:18AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ It’s not my fault if you think of me from time to time _

_ 9:19AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ is it ur fault if i think about u constantly? _

_ 9:19AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Maybe. _

__ 9:20AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ in that case…  
_ __ dont stop <3

_ ***** _

Autumn was in full swing now, the October air crisp and cool against Annabeth’s cheeks. She blew on her hands, stepping out of the Empire State Building. The lower levels were generally used as conference rooms and meeting areas for emissaries of the Gods when they didn’t want to allow mortals into Olympus- which was all of the time.

She had spent the day in meetings with her mother and the rest of the campaign team that had been assembled to assist in the push for the temple. There was a press conference within the next week, volunteers were set up to make phone calls to New Athenians, and Annabeth had a lot of work still to do. 

“Now, Annabeth will take point,” Athena had stated, her piercing gaze sweeping the room. It was a job beneath her, but high enough that she wanted her own daughter in charge. “I want you all to follow her lead.”

Annabeth wasn’t entirely certain she was cut out for this.

She had proven a great leader on past quests for camp and school, but that was usually only with a couple other people, not a large team that needed to be coordinated- and while she had friends among the team, it was mostly composed of older, much more qualified individuals.

And she wasn’t entirely sure she  _ wanted  _ to do this either.

But Athena had asked for her personally. Not only that, there was the promise to design the temple itself, something permanent that Annabeth would be forever known for. That was the biggest reason she stuck it out; not out of fear of her mother, but the desire to build.

She sighed, watching her breath hang in the air.

Her arms were full of folders, documents, data, charts- but she found she didn’t care about any of it. Not even a little bit. All she could do was think back to her conversation with Seaweed Brain that morning.

He was having dreams about her.

Dreams for demigods were sometimes prophetic- could he be seeing their future? Were they together? Did they meet in person, did everything work out okay? Was she being silly for being so guarded of her identity?

As the questions raced through her mind, she felt a pair of hands lightly brush her shoulders.

“Spacing out again, Annabeth?”

She turned quickly, frowning at Luke.

Of course, had followed her from the meeting.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that.” Annabeth tucked a curl behind her ear, tiny snowflakes beginning to fall between them.

“Do what?” Luke was still grinning, though it softened some at her expression.

“Just… nevermind.” She shook her head. She was overthinking things. Luke didn’t see her as anything more than a close friend, and that was that. “Did you get more information on those cases you mentioned?”

“I’ve been working on it.” He shifted his briefcase to his left hand, tugging out some pages from the front pocket, “Here, these should help- City of Dions in Georgia, named for-”

“-for Mr. D.” She smiled at the memory of their grumpy Camp Director, Dionysus. He was probably still begrudgingly at Camp Half-Blood, working off his 100 year sentence passed down by lawyers like Luke when Zeus found him romping with a wood nymph he fancied. She took the papers and scanned them, grateful that Luke had printed them in a font she could read.

It was an article detailing how the first temple of Dions was to go to Dionysus after an intense legal battle between himself and Hermes, back in the early 1900s.

A smile spread across her face, “Gods, Luke, this is perfect!”

“I thought it might help.” His own grin widened, and he took a step forward, “Listen, Annabeth…”

She looked up at him, suddenly very aware of how close they were. Prickles of apprehension ran up her spine and her palms felt clammy. Instinctively, she stepped back, returning them to their previous distance. “Yes…?”

He shook his head. “Nevermind, it’s not important right now.” His eyes met hers, “Are you still thinking about that kiss?”

Her face flushed hot, and she stammered, “What?! No, I- I wasn’t!”

Luke laughed, good natured though there was something else in it- something Annabeth didn’t like.

“Don’t worry. I think about it too.” With a wink, he slid back through the revolving doors. 

The snow was picking up now and Annabeth felt her heart sink to her stomach. She didn’t want to lose another friend, but if Luke continued like this, and she rejected him- what then? Would he be fine being just friends? What were his expectations? His intentions?

She slumped.

Everyone seemed to want something from her. And lately, she longed to do something for herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They made up! Yay!
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for helping edit this fanfiction of mine! Go check them out!


	12. Parties and Promises

She was finally leaving the Empire State Building when Thalia called. Annabeth fumbled for her phone, forgetting she'd had it turned on for networking purposes during the meetings today.

“What are you doing tonight?”

Annabeth thought of the long hours of project planning and data collection ahead of her, “I was going to go back to my dorm and-”

“Great! We’re going to Michael Yew’s party tonight!”

“What?!” Annabeth rubbed the bridge of her nose. “No, Thalia, I can’t, I… I have homework, and the campaign, and-”

“You always have homework! Come on, it’ll be fun! We haven’t been to the frat house in forever!”

“For good reason!” Annabeth reminded her, “Remember last time? You gave yourself a black eye doing a kegstand!”

“Yeah, and it was awesome. Your point?” Thalia was always difficult to talk down from an idea.

Annabeth sighed, glancing around. The late afternoon sun shone through the snow clouds, casting cool hues over the city. Between the meetings all day, Luke’s confusing advances, and the long week ahead of her, she needed to blow off steam.

She found herself giving in. She deserved to have some fun. “...Fine. Okay, okay, but we leave when I want to leave!”

“Yeah, sure, of course. Pick you up at 9?”

“Uh huh.”

Tau Kappa Epsilon, or “the Frat House” as most people called it, was one of the only fraternities on campus- dedicated to Apollo, most of its members were his children… though a few of Dionysus’ kids were a part of it as well, and some mortals who were equally dedicated to the art of drinking and being an unbearable asshole.

Annabeth would literally rather go anywhere else. Hades. The dank basement of a serial killer. Her step-mother’s home. You name it, it would be better than a house filled with college students getting plastered and making out with each other.

Still, at 9 o’clock sharp, she was dressed up and ready when Thalia knocked on her door. Annabeth answered, tugging down the hem of the grey dress she had picked out for herself freshman year. The garment barely covered her thighs and no amount of pulling would get it to hide more. She wondered briefly how she had ever willingly wore it.

“This is awful.”

“Nah, you look great!” Thalia grinned.

“How come you get to dress like normal?” Annabeth shot back, taking in the ripped black jeans, tank top, and leather jacket.

Her friend shrugged, “Perks of being a punk, no one cares what I wear.”

“I’m changing.”

“Ohhhh no you don’t,” Thalia grabbed Annabeth’s arm, dragging her from her bedroom and closing the door behind them, “We need you to break some hearts tonight.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I hear Reyna’s going to be there and I need you to distract all the desperate boys while I woo her myself.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Of course. That explained why they were going in the first place- Thalia needed a wingwoman. With a groan, Annabeth allowed herself to be lugged outside the dorms, still not entirely happy with her outfit choice but determined to have a good time tonight. If anyone could get her in the mood for drinks and dancing, it was Thalia.

“I thought Reyna went back to New Rome…?”

“Nah, she’s in town for a few more nights.”

“So… you need me to what? Stand there looking pretty while you flirt with Reyna?” 

“Yup, and I want to get in there before some guy sweeps her off her feet!”

It was hard to imagine Reyna  Ramírez-Arellano being swept off her feet. But if anyone could do it, it was Thalia. 

Annabeth shivered as they stepped into the night air. The snow had stopped hours beforehand, but the cold still nipped at her bare skin.

The party was already in full swing when they arrived: colorful lights flashed in the windows, music blared through the loudspeakers, drunk kids hung on the front lawn, dancing and chatting. It kind of looked like the Big House at camp, if you ignored the party atmosphere. The air was already thick with the scent of young adult pheromones and alcohol.

Annabeth decided this might have been the wrong way to destress.

“Thalia, wait-”

“Come on!” She was dragged into the house, suddenly surrounded by warm bodies and the pulsing of the music, Thalia’s grip on her wrist tight.

It was going to be a long night.

Annabeth soon found herself standing in the corner of the main room, a red solo cup filled with  _ something  _ questionable in her hand, as Thalia regaled Reyna with stories of quests she’d been on. A few different boys and girls had approached her, asking her to dance or if they could get her another drink, but Annabeth just shook her head every time. 

This wasn’t as fun as she remembered. In fact, It was mind-numbing, and she found herself switching on her phone, this time to find the pleasant words across her screen. 

_ 2 New Messages  
_ _ Seaweed Brain _

Giddy, she swiped open the messages, drinking them in far more eagerly than she had her fireball concoction. 

_ 5:43PM SEAWEED BRAIN _

_ hey wise girl  
_ _ got any plans tonight? _

Annabeth glanced at her surroundings, the writhing bodies, the pumping music, the flashing lights…

He’d definitely want to come.

_ 9:47PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Studying. _

_ 9:47PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ showoff  
_ _ srsly, who studies on a friday night??? _

_ 9:47PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I do.   
_ _ Besides, what else is there to do? _

_ 9:47PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ u could come to a party with me ;p _

She paused. Did he mean this party? 

Highly likely, considering almost half of the entire campus had turned up for it.

_ 9:47PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ im for real right now  
_ _ its gonna be so boring _

_ 9:48PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ You think a party is going to be boring?  
_ _ I’m shocked. _

_ 9:48PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ haha very funny  
_ _ i dont slack off that much  
_ _ plus there r some very boring parties _

_ 9:48PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I find it hard to believe any party with you in attendance is boring _

_ 9:49PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ it wouldnt be, if u were there _

She played with her necklace nervously, the "A" shaped pendant cool against her fingertips, glancing around. Was he here already? What if they’d already met? The thought set her nerves on edge- she wasn't ready to meet him, not yet. 

_ 9:49PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Haven’t you heard?  
_ _ I’m the most boring.   
_ _ Studying on Friday nights and everything. _

_ 9:49PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ ok ok  
_ _ would u believe id rather study with you than go to a million parties? _

_ 9:49PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ You don’t even know me! _

_ 9:49PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ sure i do.  
_ _ just because we havent met doesnt mean we dont know each other _

She gnawed on her lip, leaning against the wall now as she typed, growing more and more oblivious to the obnoxious sights and sounds around her. 

_ 9:50PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I suppose that’s true. _

_ 9:50PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ this is the part where u start calling me wise boy _

_ 9:50PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Never! _

_ 9:50PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ come on, just once? _

_ 9:51PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ It would go to your head immediately. _

Whoops and hollers interrupted their conversation and Annabeth looked up, eyes widening when she saw the source.

Percy Jackson had walked through the door, phone in one hand and a blinding smile on his face, the college students around him cheering his entrance as if he were a celebrity. 

Annabeth’s face blanched in horror. Oh Gods. Downing her drink, she tossed the cup to the side, her head feeling fuzzy as she told Thalia, “I’ll be right back,” and beelined out of the room.

She wasn’t sure where she was going, just that she needed to avoid Percy Jackson at all costs, especially after the embarrassment of their last conversation. He might try to talk to her again, and the last thing she needed was the Son of Poseidon’s comfort. If only she had her hat of invisibility, she lamented, but this stupid dress didn’t have pockets and her bag was only big enough for her phone and wallet.

Curse Thalia for convincing her not to change!

She made straight for the back stairs, swiping another drink from the kitchen as she passed through, and took the steps two at a time in a race to get to the second floor.

It was only slightly quieter up here, some couples making out in corners or talking in intimate groups of partygoers. She slid past them, trying to find somewhere,  _ anywhere _ , that would grant her respite. 

Finally, on the third floor, she found it.

One of the balconies stood empty, and she sighed in relief as she slipped into the cool night air. The wind kissing her bare shoulders sent shivers down her spine but felt wonderful on her flushed cheeks.

Taking a sip of her new drink (was it whiskey?), she walked forward and leaned on the railing, basking in the night.

She wasn’t sure how long she was out there for, but it was quite some time before her phone buzzed again.

_ 10:12PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ i was right, this party is totally lame.  
_ _ come over _

_ 10:12PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ What would you do if I did. _

He was typing. Then he stopped. Then he was typing again. The little dots appeared and disappeared multiple times, as if he were writing and then rewriting what he was saying over and over again, until finally-

_ 10:14PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ something stupid, probably. _

_ 10:14PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ How stupid? _

_ 10:14PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ like  
_ _ really stupid. _

She was just tipsy enough to push the subject, knowing exactly where they would end up.

_ 10:15PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Tell me. _

_ 10:15PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ i’d probably kiss you _

She sucked a breath in through her nose, heart rate picking up.

There it was. It had been over 3 months since they started texting, yet… it didn’t feel weird to see him say such a thing. On the contrary, it warmed her up from her toes to the top of her head, delight coursing through her veins.

Kissing him. She couldn’t picture his face or his voice, but somehow she could imagine the feeling in her head. She imagined what it would be like, to press up against him, maybe run her hands through his hair, down his shoulders…

Was he taller than her? Shorter? When they finally pulled away, what color would the eyes that met her own be? Would he laugh and tease her, calling her Wise Girl before she told him to shut up and pulled him in for another kiss?

She caught her lip between her teeth again as she mused on how to respond.

_ 10:18PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I’d probably let you. _

_ 10:18PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ shit  
_ _ ahah  
_ _ i was half convinced u were never gonna text me again after that  
_ _ fuck   
_ _ seriously?  _

_ 10:18PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Seriously. _

_ 10:18PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ ok u HAVE to come to this party  
_ _ right now _

_ 10:18PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ What if I said I was already here? _

_ 10:18PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ dont  
_ _ dont do that  
_ _ u said u were studying! _

_ 10:19PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I lied. _

_ 10:19PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ ill come find u _

_ 10:19PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ You don’t even know what I look like! _

_ 10:19PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ doesnt matter  
_ _ where are you right now _

She clicked her tongue, debating whether or not she should tell him. The idea of meeting up, right now, on this balcony was… intoxicating. On the other hand, what if the only reason they were attracted to each other was because of the mystery? What if it all went away when they met?

In a moment, she made a decision. 

_ 10:20PM WISE GIRL  
_ _ 3rd floor balcony. _

When her text-friend arrived, she would not be there. But on the railing, she left it for him- a silver necklace, a simple chain with an “A” on it that let him know she really existed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up!
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for helping edit this fanfiction of mine! Go check them out!


	13. Press and Pressure

_ 10:34PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ is this necklace urs??  
_ _ whats the “a” stand for???  
_ _ awesome??? amazing????  
_ _ uhhh  
_ _ Aeutiful?? _

_ 11:02PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ hellooooooo _

_ 11:54PM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ come on wise girl dont leave me hanging  _

_ 9:17AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ why do u hate me _

_ 9:31AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Good morning to you too.  
_ _ I’m not telling. _

_ 9:34AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ aww come on  
_ _ its a name right?  
_ _ amy? abigail?  
_ _ ava? _

_ 9:36AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I said I’m not telling! _

_ 9:36AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ is it UR name? _

“Miss Chase?”

She looked up from her phone, mortified as she realized her professor was addressing her and half the class was staring. Tucking the device away, she cleared her throat, “I’m sorry professor, I was um… there was an emergency.” She smiled sweetly, “Can you repeat the question?”

He gave her a look, but continued, exasperated, “What weapons are most effective against Stymphalian birds?”

And so that’s how her day went. Distraction plagued her, as did the boy that lived in her phone. Message after message came through, and she just couldn’t resist looking.

_ 11:42AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ sooo about last night _

_ 11:42AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Oh Gods. _

_ 11:43AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ u wanna kiss me, wise girl? ;) _

_ 11:43AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ In my defense I was drunk.  
_ _ Well, tipsy. _

_ 11:44AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ so... u DONT want to kiss me??? _

_ 11:44AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I didn’t say that. _

She flipped a page, pretending to read her book while her phone sat innocently beside her.

_ 11:45AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ well i think id like to kiss u _

_ 11:46AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Gods do you realize how ridiculous this all is?!  
_ _ Talking about kissing a stranger! _

_ 11:46AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ im not sure we count as strangers anymore, wise girl _

_ 11:47AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Really?  
_ _ How much do you even know about me? _

Annabeth huffed her bangs out of her eyes, waiting expectantly for his response. 

_ 11:49AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ i know your favorite color is green  
_ _ i know ur way smarter than me  
_ _ i know u work hard  
_ _ probably too hard  
_ _ i know i can make u laugh even if u deny it  
_ _ i know u like the idea of kissing me even if u dont know who i am  
_ _ i think i know enough  
_ _ i know that i like you _

Her breath caught in her throat and she glanced fervently around the library. No one was paying attention, yet she felt as if all eyes were on her.

_ 11:52AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ So… what now, then? _

_ 11:53AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ im not sure  
_ _ remind me again why we cant meet? _

_ 11:53AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Lots of reasons. _

_ 11;54AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ right.   
_ _ and those reasons are…? _

Annabeth gnawed on the inside of her lip. Her reasons were seeming flimsier everyday, and yet… something still held her back. 

She was scared. She had developed feelings, something she previously had thought impossible for her, and it was for someone she had never met. And with the campaign…

What if this caused a scandal that hurt their chances? That hurt their relationship?

She could see the headlines now- “Daughter of Athena Discovered in Romantic Tryst with Stranger!”

Not to mention the amount of attention the campaign required from her in general, it just wasn’t a good time for stuff like relationships and love and silly things like that. 

_ 11:54AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I just…  
_ _ I’m not ready.   
_ _ Not yet, anyway. _

After the vote. That’s when they could meet. February seemed so far away now, and she found herself revitalized with energy to give the campaign her all.

Meeting him after winning? That sounded like the perfect day.

_ 11:55AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ fair enough  
_ _ but ill know who u are someday, right? _

_ 11:56AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Of course. _

_ 11:56AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ sweet.   
_ _ wait, u like me too right??? _

Annabeth laughed.

_ 11:57AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Yes.  
_ _ I like you. _

_ ***** _

The next day was only slightly better for her focus. She slept restlessly, but this time not because of nightmares.

She couldn’t stop thinking about him.

Her grey blazer was once again on her shoulders with a matching skirt this time and a black blouse underneath. Annabeth straightened her back, trying to sit up straight as reporters asked questions of their panel.

The soft studio lights felt blinding in her anxiety, and the seated rows of journalists did little to help. The room wasn’t small, but it felt tiny with the amount of people packed into it. Annabeth sat behind a table, along with her team, Luke beside her. She wondered, not for the first time, if she was really the most equipped person to lead them.

She knew this would be big, but perhaps she had underestimated  _ how  _ big.

“Many citizens are concerned that a temple to Athena may anger the other gods,” one journalist raised her hand, standing, “what do you say in response to those fears?”

Annabeth cleared her throat, but Luke hopped in first.

“Celestial Law prohibits acts of vengeance from the Gods in cases like this. Any who try will certainly be prosecuted.”

“Mister Castellan,” Another stood up, “There have been reports that the J&J Law Firm are cutting ties with you over your involvement in this campaign. Is that true?”

Annabeth felt her eyes widen, but Luke took the question in stride.

“I have chosen to leave of my own volition and start my own firm.” He flashed a reassuring smile Annabeth’s way, squeezing her knee under the table.

She flinched. 

“Miss Chase!” Yet another spoke, “Will your mother be joining us today?”

Her nails dug into her palms as she squeezed her hands into fists, trying to keep her smile plastered on her face, “She had other matters to attend to, but she wants to assure everyone that this is of the utmost importance to her.”

“What do you have to say to Mister Jackson and his team representing Poseidon?”

“Ah,” she hesitated, “ we… we wish them luck. But we believe we are doing what is in the best interests for New Athenians, and for that reason we will win.”

“How about the rumors that Athena only wants to strengthen her own power and surpass Zeus?”

Annabeth’s brow furrowed, “That’s preposterous. No one in the pantheon can surpass Zeus, and one temple certainly wouldn’t make a difference.”

“Athena only wishes to improve the city and our nation.” Luke cut in, his face as unreadable as ever, “As we have said, a temple to Athena would increase college success rates, an interest in the arts, and critical thinking skills."

It went on like that for nearly an hour, and Annabeth found herself feeling drained as they filed out of the conference area. Luke’s hand was on her lower back, guiding her to the next room over and she didn’t even have the energy to move away. 

“ _ Please _ tell me we don’t have to do that again.”

“There are a few more, unfortunately.” He chuckled, moving his hand up and down. She supposed it was meant to be soothing, but it only made her tighten up further.

“Luke, I didn’t know about your job. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m glad for it.” He suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close, “Like I said, I’m starting my own firm, and without this campaign I’m not sure I could have done it.”

Chills ran through Annabeth’s body as she pressed her hands against his chest, trying to pull away without causing too much of an issue. He was one of her best friends, she didn’t want to hurt him, “Luke, please, I don’t-”

“Excuse me.” One of the reporters from the conference popped her head into the room, her braid hanging off her shoulder. Annabeth stepped away from Luke quickly.

“Yes? Did you have more questions?” she sighed, prepared to spend another exhausting hour answering.

The woman shook her head, “Oh no, I was hoping to borrow Miss Chase? Is that alright?”

Annabeth glanced at Luke, a question in her eyes and he shrugged, leaning down, “Go ahead. If you aren’t sure about anything, just say ‘no comment’.”

She nodded, following the woman into the hall.

“You did very well today, Annabeth.” The woman’s demeanor changed and grey eyes flashed from behind her glasses.

Annabeth sucked in a breath, “Mother, I thought- I thought you were busy today?”

“I wanted to see how well you functioned under pressure without me there.” Athena smiled, “It seems better than I imagined, although I shouldn’t be surprised. You are my daughter, after all."

Right. Athena’s daughter. Her favorite child, the one she entrusted with the most important of tasks- that was who Annabeth was. 

“You should have said something.”

“And ruin the surprise? I think not.” Her eyebrows raised, “Now about you and Mister Castellan…”

“Ah, there’s… there isn’t anything there, don’t worry, he’s just a friend.” Annabeth suddenly felt self conscious, realizing her mother had walked in on them embraced.

“Really? That’s a pity. I do like that boy.” Annabeth gaped at her mother.

“W-what?”

“I think it’s a good match. He’s only a son of Hermes, but he seems to have a good head on his shoulders. Smart. Ambitious. Like you.” 

“Mom, I… I’m not really thinking about dating right now!” she lied, her phone burning a hole in her pocket.

“Well if you do, you have my blessing.” she smiled, though once more Annabeth noted the expression didn’t quite reach her eyes, “I would certainly reconsider if I were you. A good partner can help one reach their full potential.”

Annabeth wondered if her father had been considered a “good partner” by Athena’s standards.

“Yes, thank you mom. I’ll… think about it.” she swallowed, “Was there anything else…?”

“No. But I’m proud of you, Annabeth, I truly am.” And like that, the goddess was gone. 

Annabeth slumped into the wall, rubbing between her eyes. Her head hurt. Her chest ached. She felt like she might be sick.

“Annabeth?”

Luke appeared in the doorway, concern evident on his face, “Are you alright?” he made a move to come closer but she waved him off.   


“Fine, I’m… I’m fine.” she stood up straight, a strained smile on her face once more, “Don’t worry about it, just… stress from today.”

He nodded his understanding, though worry was still evident on his features, “Take it easy, we need our girl in top form.”

She winced at his words., “Luke, I think we need to… talk.”

His eyebrows raised, “About?”

“About… this.” She gestured between them.

He laughed, “Annabeth, I think that can wait until after we win.”

“But-!”

“Don’t worry,” he interrupted, stepping closer and taking her hand, gaze intense, “We can talk all you want then, okay?”

Annabeth froze. Then she nodded, slowly. Maybe it was best to tell him she had no interest after- what if he quit because she turned him down?

But no, he wouldn’t do that. He was Luke, loyal to the end and one of the people she knew best.

Even so, she pulled her hand away. “Right. Okay. Um. Are you going to Drake’s tonight?”

He shook his head, “Nah, I’ve got paperwork to do. New business and all. Tell Thalia I say ‘hi’ though.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. With Luke gone for the evening, maybe she could finally relax a little. 

“I’ll do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raise your hand if you think Luke should get a good kick in the face! :D
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for helping edit this fanfiction of mine! Go check them out!


	14. Crowds and Calls

Annabeth barely had time to stop by her dorm after leaving the Empire State Building before she had to head out again.

The bar was bustling when Annabeth stepped inside, her hair wet with snow despite the hat squashed down over her curls. November was in full swing, but despite the cold weather, college students were going out nightly, determined to enjoy themselves and each other. She winced at a couple making out right in front of the door, sidestepping them with ease and scanning the venue for Thalia.

The Dancing Drake was bursting at the seams, the crowd pulsing with energy beneath the dim lights. She slipped between bodies, heading towards the back in an attempt to find some semblance of personal space, but to no avail. Just as she thought she might as well give up and go home, she felt a hand touch her arm.

She turned to see a girl, beautiful with choppy brown hair framing sharp features and tanned skin. She smiled, saying something that Annabeth couldn’t make out.

“What?” She shouted over the din, leaning in.

“Thalia sent me to find you! We’re waiting in a booth!” the girl yelled back, cupping a hand around her perfectly formed mouth, “Come on!”

Bewildered, Annabeth let the stranger link arms with her, guiding them through the crowd and it’s manic energy. They stumbled out the other end together, the girl laughing and Annabeth panting for breath.

“Hey! Over here guys!” Thalia was kneeling on the booth seat, waving them over. Beside her sat a familiar boy, tall and blonde with a distinctive lip scar, someone Annabeth had only met a few times. Across from them sat several other students that Annabeth knew in passing.

Will Solace, golden boy and son of Apollo, a freshman fast-tracked to being the best healer the school had ever trained.

Nico DiAngelo, son of Hades, was looking gloomy as ever, slouched over the table, and arms crossed. He didn’t even attend the university, but his reputation preceded him.

And lastly was a boy Annabeth had never met, with curly hair and brown skin. 

They all turned to greet her as they approached the table, the curly haired boy bouncing to his feet, “Oh man there’s definitely not enough room for all of us… hang on, lemme steal a chair!”

And he was gone, bounding into the crowd as Thalia excitedly scooted over to let Annabeth in.

“Hey! Glad you made it- Where’s Luke?” The voice was loud in her ear, the music around them swelling to a crescendo.

“Couldn’t come, too busy with work!” Annabeth shouted back, glancing around the table, “What are-?”

“You know my brother, Jason!” Thalia gestured to the blonde boy who gave a wave, the girl with the choppy hair entwined their arms as she sat beside him.

“That’s Piper, his girlfriend- Leo is the one getting chairs, and you already know Will and Nico.”

Everyone exchanged nonverbal hellos, the room simply too loud to do much more than that. 

“Anyway,” Thalia continued, “They want to help!”

“Help?” Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

“With the temple thingy!” Her friend laughed, the sound lost to the noise.

“Shouldn’t we talk about this later?” Annabeth’s throat was already feeling strained from trying to be heard.

“Probably.”

The one known as Leo returned just then, but instead of chairs he slammed a tray of shot glasses on the table, “ _Buen provecho!_ Enjoy!”

“Uh, Leo?” Piper called, brow furrowed, “What about the-?”

“Couldn’t find any!” he responded cheerfully, opting to try and squeeze next to Nico. Nico did not look impressed, his scowl only growing.

“Right, uh… cheers!” Will grabbed one of the glasses, raising it in the air as everyone else followed suit. Annabeth looked around, bewildered and surrounded by people she hardly knew. Even so, she had been looking forward to this after the day she had.

All together, they downed their drinks: Annabeth immediately gasped as the liquor hit her tongue, and a glance around the table confirmed she wasn’t the only one. Jason, Piper, Leo, and Nico were all gagging, various expressions of discomfort on their faces.. Annabeth’s own eyes watered as the taste burned it’s way down her throat.

“Shit- hah, that was… fuck!” she could barely hear Leo gasp, coughing as he slammed the shot glass back on to the table. 

Piper was no better off. “Leo, what the fuck did you order?!”

“I don’t know man! It was called ‘The Chimera’, sounded cool!” he wheezed, pressing further against Nico who looked absolutely appalled.

Will grinned, seemingly unaffected, waving down a bartender. “Hey, can we have another round of these please?”

“Dude- are you serious?!” Jason winced, wiping his mouth.

Thalia, on the other hand, raised her hand for a high five. “Hell yeah Solace, I knew I liked you for a reason!” She and Will slapped hands, the sound barely audible over the thumping bass, and Annabeth was beginning to rethink her choices.

Two more shots made her feel differently.

Nico was glued to Will’s side, mumbling something in his ear which had the blonde boy laughing. Leo was dancing, a tie (where did he even get that?) wrapped around his head, while Piper and Jason swayed in their seats, hands clasped.

Watching them made Annabeth yearn to hold someone’s hand. She pouted, nursing the fruity drink she had ordered and eyeing the couple as Thalia babbled in her ear.

“...So anyway, I was thinking we could like, really benefit from Jason’s whole ‘roman organization’ thing.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And Piper’s mom is Aphrodite and she has this whole charmspeak thing- is it illegal to use magic to convince people to vote for us?”

“Mmmm.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Leo spun by their table, hips gyrating to the music.

Annabeth tilted her head in his direction, “What does he do?”

“Builds shit, I think.” Thalia shrugged, but Annabeth was intrigued.

“What kind of shit?” she downed her beverage, grabbing another shot off the table as she did.

“Not arches and stuff like you.” They clinked their glasses, downing them together, “Useful shit.” She grinned and Annabeth snorted at the heckle.

“And those two...?” She eyed Will and Nico, earning a scowl from the latter.

“Pretty sure Nico is just here to stick it to Percy, and Will is along for the ride.” Thalia leaned back, smacking her lips. Annabeth frowned.

“Does Nico have something against Percy?” Her words slurred together and she struggled to remain upright.

Thalia shrugged again. “I guess? Something to do with his sister or...something.”

Annabeth’s brow furrowed. Okay, so she wasn’t the guy’s biggest fan either, but he didn’t actually seem too bad… At the very least, he had made an effort to get into her good graces. And against all odds, it had actually started to work.

But before she could dwell too long on her thoughts, an arm was swung over her shoulders. “Ok, seriously, how are you Athena kids even born?” Leo’s voice was loud and sloppy in her ear. She winced, pulling away from him. “You don’t literally pop out of her head… Right?” He cocked his head to the side, confusion evident on his face.

Thalia guffawed, “Why else do you think we call them ‘brain children’ Valdez?”

His eyes widened, “No way! That’s so cool! Do you have-”

“Yes, I have a belly button.” Annabeth rolled her eyes, absently reaching for another shot.

It was a conversation she had experienced too many times. Just another thing that set her apart.

Head fuzzy, she leaned heavily against Thalia and yawned.

“Woah there, sleepy already?” Her friend laughed and Annabeth couldn’t hold back her smile. 

“Mmm, let’s have another round?”

“Okay, one more, then I’m taking you to my place- it’s closer and I don’t want you stumbling drunk back to the dorms.”

Annabeth waved down a bartender, head swimming. She wanted to forget the day, forget Luke, forget the pressures and troubles of her life just for a night.

The only thing that would make it better was if he were here.

Seaweed Brain.

What a stupid name.

She giggled to herself, thoughts growing even fuzzier as she knocked back her glass. She vaguely remembered dancing. Then a flash of saying goodbye. Another of her and Thalia stumbling around in the snow, giggling and shouting old camp songs at each other as they made their way to Thalia’s apartment. She remembered flopping onto the couch, shoes still on. And she remembered taking out her phone, face illuminated in the dark as his contact stared back at her.

_*****_

Percy laughed as Estelle tugged at his shirt, begging him wordlessly to sit down beside her.

“Okay, okay, we’ll color together!” he grinned at his toddler sister, patting her hair down and settling on the ground, blue crayon in hand. “Which one first?”

It was an average, run-of-the-mill Friday night- except for the fact that Percy was at home instead of bar hopping for once. This whole temple thing was taking a lot out of him, and he found himself wanting to spend time with his family more and more. 

Plus, turning down people asking him out was getting exhausting. Sure, he blamed the Empousai incident for his lack of interest when asked, but if he was being honest, there was only one girl on his mind.

“Owoll!” Estelle commanded, her vowels rounded, and he couldn’t help but chuckle at how bossy she already was.

“Owoll?” he repeated, and she pointed insistently at the line art of an owl on the floor.

“A blue owl, huh?” he shrugged, handing another crayon to Estelle and beginning to color within the lines. His sister opted for a yellow sheep, which she giggled at proudly.

“Baa!”

“Baa indeed.”

“Percy!” Sally, his mother, poked her head in from the kitchen, her long brown hair tied back and light eyes sparkling in the fire’s glow. It was a cozy image, yule branches already adorning the hearth, a decked out tree in the corner, Percy and his sister playing on the floor. They always decorated early for the holidays.

“Paul and I are going out for dinner, but there are cookies in the oven and Mac and Cheese on the stove! I set timers for both so make sure you eat, okay?”

“Got it mom.” He gave her a thumbs up before turning back to the important task of coloring in his blue owl. Something about it seemed almost ironic, though he couldn’t quite place why. 

“What do you think, Estelle?” he held the half-colored bird up, “Too blue?”

“Bloo!” she clapped her hands, giggling.

“You’re right, no such thing as too blue.” He nodded in agreement, grabbing an aquamarine color to tip the feathers. The door opened as his mother and step-dad shouted a quick goodbye from the entryway, locking in behind them. Percy ventured a glance at his little sister.

“You can keep a secret, right?”

She was busy gnawing on her yellow crayon, which Percy took as affirmation.

“I like a girl, Estelle.” He flopped onto his back, sighing dramatically and staring at the plain white ceiling of their apartment as Estelle giggled and climbed on top of him, abandoning her coloring.

“She’s smart, she’s funny, she thinks I’m an idiot but I think that’s okay… But she won’t meet me!”

“Idiot!” Estelle exclaimed, giggling behind her fingers as she sat up on Percy’s stomach.

He rolled his eyes. “Oh great, Mom will be _thrilled_ that you picked up that one,” he muttered, sitting back up and cradling his sister in his arms. “You know what that means? Someone’s getting tickles!” He pressed his face into her, blowing raspberries onto her stomach as Estelle squirmed and shrieked with laughter.

He missed babysitting, if he was being honest. Between school, the campaigning, and his usual lifestyle, he’d only been home to eat and sleep- sometimes just the latter.

He hopped to his feet, securing the giggling toddler on his hip as he headed to the kitchen to serve up dinner. Estelle grabbed at his neck, the shiny silver there attractive to her young eyes. Percy jerked back.

“Oh no you don’t! This is special!” The “A” that his Wise Girl had given him hadn’t left his neck since he got it. It felt sentimental, a gift from her that he cherished deeply- even though he still wasn’t sure what it stood for, she had touched it, held it, worn it.

“Come on monster, let’s get you some Mac and Cheese!”

_*****_

Estelle was already asleep when his phone buzzed.

And then it kept buzzing.

Frowning, he slid it from his pocket, glancing at Estelle in her crib before his eyes flickered to the screen.

 _Incoming Call  
_ _WISE GIRL_

His mouth went dry.

She was calling him.

She was _calling_ him.

Hurriedly, he exited the bedroom, closing the door as quietly as he could behind him and staring at the phone, still vibrating in his hand. Should he answer? But they’d never talked about calling each other before! Before he could make a decision, the phone went still. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Which was quickly interrupted as the words once more flashed across his screen.

 _Incoming Call  
_ _WISE GIRL_

Something must be wrong. Before he could think better of it, he clicked answer and pressed the phone to his ear. There was silence on the other end.

“Um… hello?”

He could hear someone gasp softly, then a giggle.

“Wise Girl? Is that you?” His brow furrowed, and he stepped away from Estelle’s room, crossing to the living area instead.

Another breathy laugh, and shivers went down his spine. It was her. She was _real._

“Ah… um… yes, I’m here!” her words slurred a bit, and he smiled, settling back into the plush couch.

It was quiet again, the tension between them thick. Finally, Percy tried again.

“Did you call for a reason, or just to hear my voice? Because either way, I’m not complaining.”

She was giggling again, “Oh, no I just... “ her voice went low, and Percy was struck by how familiar she sounded. It was hard to tell, but he got the feeling they’d definitely met before.

A thought struck him. Oh Gods… she wasn’t a one night stand, was she? Before he could panic too much, she continued.

“I just wanted to prove you’re real.” She was quiet, nervous even.

Percy suddenly felt the need to reassure her. “Oh, I’m very real.”

“Mmmm,” she hummed. “Then this is real too?”

“Yes, this phone call is real.”

“No, no I meant like… _this_ …”

His brow furrowed. “‘This’ meaning…?”

“Us.”

He sucked in a breath. “Right… yeah, I think we’re real.”

“Together?” She sounded so adorable, her voice hopeful and filled with… something else.

“Have you been drinking?”

“Maybe a little.” Sheepishness crept into her tone and he pressed further.

“How much is ‘a little’?”

“Um…” There was a pause, as if she were counting out on her fingers. “Five shots?”

He couldn’t hold back his chuckle, his desire to tease her growing. “Damn Wise Girl, are you a lightweight?”

“No!” She was defensive now. “Five shots is- so many! I mean… I-I’m not!”

“Okay, okay, you’re not!” he chuckled. “Where… Where are you right now?” He hoped she wasn’t stuck anywhere.

“A friend’s place.” 

He sighed in relief, then wondered. “What kind of friend?”

“Why?” she teased. “Gonna be jealous?”

“Maybe,” Percy admitted. “Depending on your answer.”

She laughed again, a sound that filled him up with warmth. He crossed his legs, clearing his throat, “Listen, Wise Girl…”

“Yes, _Seaweed Brain_?” The nickname sounded even sillier out loud and he stifled another chuckle.

“I wish you were here right now.” His voice was low and firm. He could hear her exhale on the other end.

“Ah… wow… w-where are you?”

“Home.”

“By yourself?”

He thought of Estelle sleeping in the other room. “Yes.”

“Oh Gods I- I should have probably asked before I called, huh?”

“Probably,” he agreed, running a hand through his hair.

“What would we do if I was there?” She sounded eager.

“Well, I guess we would talk.”

“Talk.”

“Talk,” he repeated, throwing an arm over the back of the couch as if she were sitting beside him.

“Is that all?” She sounded disappointed. And well, even over the phone, he couldn’t bear disappointing his Wise Girl.

“We could probably cuddle a bit,” he said, biting back a smirk, “since no one else is around. ”

“Too embarrassed to be seen with me?” Her voice was light and teasing.

“Not at all.” Percy paused, debating if he should say what he really felt. “But I want you all to myself.”

He listened to her suck in a breath. “Ah… mmm.”

“Is that bad?” He second guessed his confident reply.

“No! No I… I like that,” she said with a breathless laugh. “So we talk, and we cuddle… Do we kiss?”

“Oh, we _definitely_ kiss.”

She moaned softly and he began to wonder exactly how drunk she really was.

“Wise Girl?”

“Yes?”

“You’re safe, right?”

“Oh, yes, yes of course.” she assured him, and he could hear shifting, as if she were laying in a bed. Her voice was quiet again. “I’m somewhere safe.”

“Good.” Another pause. “I’d have to come find you myself if you weren’t.”

“Maybe you should come find me anyway.”

He perked up. “Is that an invitation?” 

“I… it could be,” she sounded nervous, words now rushing out of her mouth. “I mean, we really shouldn’t, at least not now, we might do something-”

“Stupid?” He remembered their conversation the night of the party, his free hand playing with the necklace at his throat.

“Ha, yes. Stupid.” More rustling, as if she were flipping herself over, “But if we did… if we did meet…”

“Which I definitely want to.”

“I do too.” She was quiet again, “But if we did… no matter who I was, you wouldn’t stop talking to me, right?”

“‘Course not. You’re my Wise Girl, after all.”

She made another soft noise. “Your Wise Girl,” she repeated.

“Should I not say it like that?” He traced the seams of the sofa with his fingers, imagining the curves were something else.

“No, no please don’t stop!” She sounded nervous as she asked, “Does that make you _my_ Seaweed Brain?”

“Guess it does.” Percy threw his head back, unable to fight back a smile. “You’ll take good care of me, won’t you?”

“Of course!”

“Promise?”

“Promise!” He adored how eager she sounded. It was probably the alcohol, but she was different over the phone than over text more bold, less guarded.

“Remind me again why can’t we meet?” He groaned, rubbing his eyes.

She huffed, “Well we… we can… just not yet.”

“Why not?”

His Wise Girl seemed to struggle for the words. “I’m… you see I’m… I’m working on something.”

“A project?” His brows knit together again.

“Something like that.”

“So because of a project… we can’t meet?”

She huffed into the phone in frustration, “I can’t… I really can’t say more.”

“I get it.” He didn’t, but he wanted her to feel like she had someone in her corner- even if that someone was just him.

Plus, with his campaign… it would be rough to throw a girl into the middle of all that stress, wouldn’t it? He didn’t want it to possibly come between something good. What they had was special, and the thought of the temple thing ruining it…

It was probably best to wait until after, anyway.

She breathed a sigh of relief, “I’ll let you know. When I’m ready, I mean.”

“Sounds perfect.” he grinned, “So… when you’re ready, you think there’ll be kissing?”

“Mmm. Kissing.” Her voice was soft again. “Tell me how you would kiss me.”

“I- what?” he laughed nervously, “How?”

“Mmhmm.”

“I guess… eagerly?”

“I’d kiss you like my life depended on it.” Her voice was so serious all he could do was swallow.

“Oh Gods- listen, you’ve had a lot to drink, I don’t think we-”

“Seaweed Brain,” she interrupted, “I really want to kiss you. Right now.”

Percy felt his heart rate pick up. He held the phone closer, gripping it tighter. “Shit… I want to kiss you right now, too.”

It was quiet for a few moments.

“Will you stay on the phone with me? Until I fall asleep?”

Her voice was like nectar. He couldn’t refuse.

“Of course, Wise Girl.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A PHONE CALL!!!!!
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for helping edit this fanfiction of mine! Go check them out!


	15. Hangovers and Honesty

Her mouth was sandpaper.

Annabeth groaned, feeling hot and sweaty and  _ gross _ as she rolled over on the couch. She blearily opened her eyes, squinting at the bright sunlight reflecting off the freshly fallen snow. Somehow, she had drunkenly managed to get her jacket and shoes off during the night- both items lay beside her on the floor but the rest of her clothes were still on intact.

With another noise of displeasure, she buried her face into the throw pillow Thalia had graciously provided her, trying to block out the offending light.

Her head throbbed a pounding rhythm against her skull, and Annabeth found herself wondering how she had even arrived at the apartment.

There were echoes here and there- she remembered stumbling through the door, knocking over a lamp, curling up to sleep-

But then she hadn’t gone straight to sleep, had she?

Horrified as the memories raced back to her, she tugged her phone out from in between the cushions, pulling up the app and staring.

_ 1 Outgoing Call- SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ 2hrs 13 min 23sec _

Oh Gods.

Oh no.

Oh  _ fuck _ .

She scrambled to sit up, immediately regretting the movement as a wave of nausea crashed over her. The throbbing in her head intensified and she doubled over, the horrifying realization repeating in her brain.

She had called him.

And he had  _ answered _ .

Bits and pieces of their conversation floated in the periphery of her mind, just out of reach.

They’d talked about kissing, hadn’t they? And some of the things she had said…

Annabeth groaned, dropping her phone and burying her face in her hands. This was a disaster. What if he recognized her voice? 

But  _ his  _ voice… She could remember his voice. And it  _ was _ familiar, that much seemed to permeate her fuzzy memory. But she liked it- it sounded confident, firm, with a lilt of humor that had sent bursts of energy through her body. 

Annabeth sat up, pressing her palms to her eyes.

Her phone buzzed.

Blearily, she scooped it back up, scrolling to her messages.

_ 9:47AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ hows my wise girl feeling today? _

_ His  _ Wise Girl. She vaguely recalled him calling her that last night. Her heart skipped a beat as she responded, squinting at the screen.

_ 9:49AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Ugh don’t ask. _

_ 9:49AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ oof  
_ _ ur already conscious?? _

_ 9:50AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ Unfortunately. _

_ 9:50AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ how much do u remember? _

She could remember his sweet words, her asking him how they would kiss, him agreeing to stay up and then… not a lot after that. 

_ 9:51AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ More than I care to admit. _

_ 9:51AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ damn haha  
_ _ was i that bad? _

_ 9:51AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ No, not at all!  
_ _ I was just…  
_ _ Horrible, ugh, I don’t want to remember it! _

_ 9:52AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ nah u were cute!  
_ _ u should call more often haha! _

_ 9:53AM WISE GIRL   
_ _ Is that an invitation? _

_ 9:53AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ absolutely.  
_ _ i loved hearing ur voice  
_ _ i want more. _

She sucked in a breath.

_ 9:54AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ More of me? _

_ 9:54AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ yes  
_ _ like, shit  
_ _ i feel like  
_ _ i feel like i need to know every part of u _

Her fingers hovered over the keys, her heart beating in time with the throbbing of her head, which felt far less painful now.

_ 9:55AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ I want you to know every part of me. _

_ 9:56AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ is that a promise? _

_ 9:56AM WISE GIRL  
_ _ It's a hope. _

“Who are you texting?”

Annabeth nearly jumped out of her skin, hiding her phone on instinct as Thalia’s voice tickled her ear.

“No one! Nothing! What?” She stammered, heat rising to her face.

Thalia was leaning over the back of the couch, one eyebrow raised and eyeliner smeared. Annabeth winced. Her reaction was definitely going to pique her friend’s interest.

“Dude, I’m not stupid, you’ve constantly been texting someone for at least the last few months, and last night I heard you laughing on the phone,” she said with a yawn.

“How much did you hear?” Annabeth could feel the panic rising in her, but Thalia just shrugged.

“I couldn’t make out any words…” Her lips quirked up into a smile. “Have you- are you seeing someone?”

“No!” The blonde paused, “I- maybe,” she admitted,

Thalia laughed, hopping over the back of her sofa and plopping down next to Annabeth. “No shit, congrats! Who?”

“I-” She was at a loss for words. Was it time to reveal her big secret? Spill her guts to her best friend, admit why she’d been so distracted for so long?

Thalia waited patiently.

“I don’t know his name,” Annabeth finally admitted, tension she hadn’t known she’d been holding released from her shoulders. 

Her friend stared. “So is it, like, an online dating thing or…?”

“No, no nothing like that, he just,” she bit her lip. “He just texted me out of the blue one day, and didn’t stop.”

“Wait, and you…  _ responded? _ ” Thalia looked impressed. “You, Annabeth Chase, Miss No-Distractions-Including-Boys, are flirting with some mystery guy?”

“I guess?” She shrugged her shoulders in defeat, accepting how ridiculous it sounded.

“Can I see?”

Before Annabeth could respond, Thalia had snatched the phone from her hands, gleefully searching through the messages.

“Wait, Thalia-!” Annabeth grabbed at it, but Thalia held it out of reach.

“Woah, Seaweed Brain? What kind of name is that?”

“Thalia that’s private!” 

“I just want a peek!” 

“Give it back!”

“Oh, wait until I tell Luke!”

Panic entered Annabeth’s voice. “Don’t!”

“Why, worried he won’t-” She was laughing, but it stopped abruptly at Annabeth’s expression. “Whoa, hey, I’m just teasing you, you know that right?” She handed the phone back. “I won’t tell him."   


“I-I know.” She accepted the device gratefully. “I just… It’s a little um…”

“Embarrassing?”

“Intimate.” She looked down, a small smile forming at the thought of all their wonderful conversations.

Thalia whistled. “Shit. You  _ really  _ like him.”

“Yeah, I… I do.” She said it out loud for the first time, “I really,  _ really  _ like him.”

“So… why not meet him?” Thalia crossed her legs, leaning forward.

Annabeth’s teeth worried at her bottom lip. “It’s complicated.”

“Try me.”

“The campaign, first of all.”

Thalia nodded in understanding. “You worried about your mom?”

“Yeah. I can’t… I can’t try to have a relationship in the middle of everything going on, and Athena- she’s very um…”

“Bitchy?”

“Critical.” She sighed heavily. “And what if… what if it doesn’t work out? It’s so easy this way, not knowing who’s on the other end…”

Thalia shrugged. “I mean, that’s a risk in any relationship.”

“But I don’t want to risk  _ this  _ one.” The thought of losing him made her heart squeeze uncomfortably.

They sat together in silence for a moment.

“So… you’re being safe and stuff, right? He’s definitely not a creep?” Thalia’s voice was more serious now.

“I’m pretty sure.” Annabeth hadn’t really considered it. Seaweed Brain seemed so genuine, and real, she couldn’t imagine he was just catfishing her.

It wasn’t like they’d exchanged pictures or anything.

“Good.” Thalia seemed satisfied, taking her friends’ hand. “I’m really glad someone is making you happy, you’ve been so focused since we were kids- I worry sometimes.”

Annabeth gave her a grateful smile. “I’ve been doing okay for myself, I don’t need a guy to fix me.”

“Well obviously not!” Thalia rolled her eyes. “But sometimes a good partner can bring out the best in you, you know?”

Annabeth was reminded of what her mother had said.

Seaweed Brain really did push her to become a better version of herself. She was trying new things, meeting new people, owning up to her mistakes- It was all in her already, but he seemed to coax the best parts of her out into the open.

The phone in her hands buzzed again.

_ 10:13AM SEAWEED BRAIN  
_ _ u have me hoping for a lot of things, wise girl _

Thalia saw before she could hide it, and her eyebrows shot up again.

“Wise Girl?”

“It’s… it’s a nickname.” Annabeth flushed pink.

“It’s cute.” Thalia grinned. “Gods,  _ please  _ can I just read a  _ little bit? _ ” 

“No!” Annabeth laughed, pushing her friend over. “Like I said, it’s private!”

“Okay, okay fine! Don’t share with your best friend!”

They spent the rest of the morning recovering from their hangovers, coffees in hand, and chatting away about Annabeth’s mystery person.

“What do you even know about him?” Thalia questioned as they combed through their hair in the bathroom.

“Well… he likes blue food.” Annabeth laughed, trying to think. “He’s kind, and caring, and funny… He’s powerful too, apparently, though I don’t know who his godly parent is.”

“Really?” Thalia paused her movements, bobby pin between her teeth. “Why don’t you ask?”

“I don’t know, it just doesn’t seem important.” She shrugged, trying to detangle a knot with her fingers.

“Maybe it will give you a clue to who he is!”

Annabeth snorted. “Thalia, if I asked, he would probably show up at this very apartment in ten minutes flat. Figuring out who he is isn’t a problem.”

“Right, right, you don’t want to know.”

“Not yet, at least.” She leaned into the mirror to examine the dark circles under her eyes. “Especially not right now, Gods I look like Tartarus!”

Thalia laughed, slinging an arm over Annabeth’s shoulder. “Nah, you look pretty. He’d probably die on the spot if he saw you.”

“I certainly hope not!” She pushed Thalia away, turning back to examining herself in the mirror.

Her hair was a rat’s nest, curls and frizz tangled up and cascading over her shoulders. The aforementioned dark circles made her eyes pop, and she swore she could feel a zit coming to the surface on her cheek. Sleeping in makeup was never a good idea.

“Let’s not get that wasted again, yeah?” Thalia read Annabeth’s mind.

“Definitely not. What was even in those shots?” she wondered, tying her hair back into a messy braid.

“Something dangerous, I’m sure. I’m glad you came out last night, Jason and his friends can be a handful but…” Thalia shrugged, “They’re like family.

“I had a lot of fun.” Annabeth smiled, leaning back and taking a deep sip of coffee.

“Great! We hopefully will be seeing more of them-”

“But Leo doesn’t get to pick the shots next time.”

Thalia chuckled, “No, absolutely not.”

They finished up, and Annabeth felt lighter than she had in a while despite the looming responsibilities of the campaign and the now dull ache in her head. She had done something normal, she had gone out with friends and gotten wasted and drunk dialed the guy she liked. The college experience that had formerly eluded her seemed within her grasp.

Not that she ever expected to have a normal life. She was still a demigod, still pining after a boy she didn’t even know the name of, and still expected to accomplish near impossible things by her mother, but… even a taste of the life she could have left her hoping for more.

_ ***** _

They were walking down the streets, laughing and talking, Annabeth checking her phone occasionally, and Thalia teasing her about her crush. 

A distant boom made the hair on Annabeth’s neck stand on end, interrupting their conversation.

“What was that?” Thalia adjusted her scarf nervously, peering down the road. Many others turned, mortals curious as a rumbling from school’s direction grew louder, and louder, soon accompanied by screams.

People were running away from something, a few of them whooshing past Annabeth and Thalia, who automatically took off towards the noise, instincts kicking in.

Several years of training would do that to you.

The pair turned a corner, Annabeth skidding to a halt as she watched in horror. Something was slithering toward them just beneath the asphalt, the road rising up and breaking apart before their eyes. Just as it was about to reach the cross street they stood at, a massive head tore through the surface, a serpentine face staring down the demigods as the crowd around them fled. 

Annabeth swallowed.

“The Ismenian Dragon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about skipping a week of posting folks! Had to focus on some school stuff- hope you enjoy the new chapter!
> 
> Big thanks to [DerpinDot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DerpinDot/pseuds/DerpinDot) and [c_tristesse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_tristesse/pseuds/c_tristesse) for helping edit this fanfiction of mine! Go check them out!


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